Garden of Palms

Garden of Palms (Dutch: Palmentuin) is a palm tree landscape garden in Paramaribo, Suriname. In addition to tall royal palms, the grounds are home to tropical birds and a "troop" of capuchin monkeys.^[1] Palmentuin is located on Van Roseveltkade behind the Presidential Palace of Suriname and is a tourist attraction.^[1]

Royal palms were planted on the grounds by order of Cornelis van Aerssen van Sommelsdijck Governor of Suriname from 1683-1688. He opened the garden to the public in 1685. He was murdered in 1688 by a group of mutinous soldiers. Afterwards the garden was closed to the public until in the early 20th century. The park includes a playground and on holidays there are stalls. In 2002, the city of Paramaribo was put on the World Heritage List at the UN and the garden was cited specifically as a feature.^[2] In 2009, the UNESCO made US $147,000 available to refurbish the palm garden.

Gallery

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  Festively attired Arawak Indians in the Palm Garden (Palmentuin) behind the Government House (Gouvernementshuis), late 19th century

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  A woman selling corn at the garden circa 1920

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  Late 19th century photo

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  Circa 1920

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References

1. Palmentuin Lonely Planet
2. Historic Inner City of Paramaribo UNESCO

Coordinates: 5°49′42″N 55°09′01″W / 5.8282°N 55.1502°W