The Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, will be embarking on an initiative to restore the various Dutch forts in the country, including Fort Kyk-Over-Al and Fort Zeelandia in the Essequibo River, and Fort Nassau in the Berbice River.
The restoration project is expected to begin next year, with support from the National Trust of Guyana.
The announcement was made by Tourism Minister Oneidge Walrond over the weekend during a tour of tourism spots in Regions Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) and Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).
“We want to see what works need to be done…we already saw the kinds of restoration works that need to be done and it’s something that we are going to be looking at very early in the year,” she explained.
In fact, the Minister noted that there is keen interest in the country’s history and this is something she hopes to capitalise on as her Ministry continues to promote Guyana’s tourism.
Fort Kyk-Over-Al was a Dutch Fort in the then colony of Essequibo. It was constructed in 1616 at the intersection of the Essequibo, Cuyuni and Mazaruni rivers and it once served as the centre for the Dutch administration of the county. The name Kyk-Over-Al derives from the Dutch for “See over all”, a reference to the commanding view of the river from the fort.
Fort Zeelandia is located at the mouth of the Essequibo River on Fort Island which also houses the Court of Policy or Dutch Church. Fort Zeelandia was constructed in 1744 to protect the interests of the Dutch West India Company from European rivals such as the English and French and served as a stronghold against internal forces such as rebellious slaves.
Fort Nassau was constructed in 1627 and it was the capital of the Dutch colony of Berbice. It was built with wood and enclosed with palisades, an irregular rectangular redoubt and a barrack house. To date only the foundation of the above structures remain.
