Map of a new design for fort Nieuw Amsterdam

Title Leupe: “Plan du fort d' Amsterdam”.

This ground plan of the Nieuw Amsterdam Fort was drawn when the first serious defects had come to light in the still uncompleted fort. In the soggy ground, much of the forts and its buildings began to sink, including the main sluice. This map and the profile pertaining to it were made in July 1744 by the former garrison commander Jean-Pierre Chambrier, who complained repeatedly about the defects in the design. Here he argues about the bastion which was reputedly misplaced in relation to the covered pathway along the outer wall.

This map shows what appears to be an early stage of the redesigned fort Nieuw-Amsterdam. At the end of 1733, an agreement between the Society of Surinam and representatives of the colonists to improve Surinam's defences was ratified by the Dutch Estates-General. This design would have been made as part of these plans shortly afterwards. The actual work began in 1736 and dragged on with numerous set-backs, conflicts and delays until 1747. Afterwards, the fort would remain problematic both in terms of maintenance and defence. (For more details on its building history, see under 'documentation', especially the book by Temminck Groll.)

North is lower left.