Fort Island, located not very far up the Essequibo River, boasts the best preserved built evidence of Dutch settlement in Guyana. Approaching the island, the calmness of the water and peaceful atmosphere are quite in contrast to the menacing defences of Fort Zeelandia which was built in the 18th century.
Fort Zeelandia – which was named after the province of Zeeland in the Netherlands – and the Court of Policy building were declared National Monuments by the government in 1999 and are now maintained by the National Trust of Guyana (NTG). Both are made of clay bricks.
The Court of Policy, which was constructed a few years after the fort, was restored in February 2007 and the
