Groningen (Suriname)

Groningen is the capital town of the Saramacca District, Suriname.Groningen only began to grow after 1960. Around that time the East-West Corridor, a road linking Albina via Paramaribo to Nieuw Nickerie was built. This let Groningen become accessible by road.The town features: an office of the district commissioner; a post office; an office for the police commander, an office of the State Sick Fund (SZF) and the Eliazer Jaques football stadium, named after the founder of the Football Federation of Saramacca and president. There is also a Moravian Church and a Roman Catholic Church.Until 1990, Groningen maintained a nursing home for yaws sufferers. In that year it was closed after it was discovered that the disease could be cured within days by applying Salvarsan.HistoryA pentagonal fort was built on this site in 1790, which was named by Governor Jan Gerhard Wichers, after his birthplace in Groningen, Groningen. Across the river was a leper colony by the name of Voorzorg, meaning 'Welfare'. Fort Groningen was part of a cordon of forts. However the fort itself had only a few plantations and therefore was not very developed. There were plans to expand the fort and build a town that would be called Columbia, however not much more than the fort itself, a few blocks, a cemetery and a 1830s Moravian Church was ever built. During his time as a soldier in Suriname (1836-1842) August Kappler described the area, and notes about Groningen that "besides the main point and houses, one searches in vain."