Historic Fort Nassau to be promoted as a tourist attraction

Oct 17, 2010 News

Minister of Tourism Manniram Prashad looks at the remains of the stairs of the Armoury at Fort Nassau.

The ruins of Fort Nassau, built by Dutch colonists in the 17th century, are once again on the cards to be promoted as a tourist destination, the Ministry of Tourism has announced.
The Fort housed the administration of the colony of Essequibo before it was united with the other colonies of Demerara and Essequibo in 1831.
Over the years, there has been talk of preserving what remains of Fort Nassau, but there has been no concrete effort to promote it as a tourist destination. Preservation falls under the National Trust of Guyana.
This fort was constructed of wood and enclosed with palisades, and featured a larger stone building. The barracks accommodated about 60 soldiers. The main building in the fort had two floors. The Governor, Captain of the Troops, the Secretary and two Lieutenants lived on the upper floor. There was a Council Chamber and Church Hall on the first floor. The Fort was surrounded by outhouses for servants and petty officials.
In 1712 it was demolished when Baron de Mouans corsairs threw bombs into it and held Berbice at ransom. A new fort was constructed. During the slave revolt of 1763 it was burnt by Governor Van Voogenheim and his soldiers to prevent the slave rebels from acquiring it.
The remnants of Fort Nassau include the western and eastern grave plots, the semi-circular brick stairs of the Court of Policy Hall, the stairs of the Armoury, the ruins of the bridge, the Lutheran Church.
Recently, Minister of Tourism, Manniram Prasahd and the Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) visited the site, located some 75 miles up the Berbice River.
While commending the National Trust for its work in preserving what remains of the Fort, Prashad admitted that more can be done to promote and safeguard the site. He suggested that this be done as a collaborative venture between government agencies.
He encouraged tour operators especially Cortours in Berbice to pursue this initiative.
He said Guyana is probably one of the few countries in the world where different countries occupied including the Dutch, French and British.
Fort Nassau was occupied first by the Dutch and the French then the British, he said, but of significant importance to history, it is what was referred to as “the cradle of the revolution” because of the revolt by enslaved Africans, led by Cuffy in 1763, which originated east of Plantation Magdelenenburg.
“This is an important part of our history which we must cherish and preserve – our culture, our heritage,” Minister Prashad maintained.
Prashad posited that not only could Fort Nassau draw Guyanese and the Diaspora, but that Dutch visitors would be interested in visiting the place.
With the surrounding flora and fauna, Prashad sees potential for trekking and for wildlife spotting since the area is teeming with animals such as jaguars, agoutis, labba and monkeys. In addition, its rich birdlife makes it a paradise for bird watchers and persons can also engage in sport fishing.
Fort Nassau was declared a National Monument by the Government of Guyana in 1999.
The “Talking Tree”, believed to have been used to send messages during the slave rebellion led by Cuffy, is perhaps the most attractive and intriguing feature of Fort Nassau.

1 thoughts on “Historic Fort Nassau to be promoted as a tourist attraction”

cawestmaas January 3, 2012 at 2:45 pm

This would be a Great project in welcomeing tourists from all over the world including England especialy that their is an abudance of Tropical Wild life , and understanding the People of Guyana Culture and friendlyness. chris westmaas from london,