Fort Nassau (Guyana)

Fort Nassau was the capital of the colony of Berbice. It was situated approximately 88 kilometres upstream the Berbice River from New Amsterdam.

The original fort was burnt by the French when they attacked Berbice in 1712. A new fort was subsequently built, which was burned in 1763 by Berbice governor Van Hoogenheim to prevent it from falling in the hands of revolting slaves.

In 1733, a village which had sprung up around Fort Nassau was named New Amsterdam (Dutch: Nieuw Amsterdam). The fort and the village were abandoned in 1785 in favour of Fort Sint Andries, situated more downstream, at the confluence of the Canje River. The new village was again named New Amsterdam, and is still known by that name in contemporary Guyana.

The remains of Fort Nassau were declared a National Monument by the Guyananese government in 1999. Recently, efforts have been started to preserve the fort.