Onverwacht
District capital
Building at the Onverwacht railway station
Building at the Onverwacht railway station
Onverwacht is located in Suriname
Onverwacht
Onverwacht
The location of Paramaribo in Suriname
Coordinates: 5°35′35″N 55°11′38″W / 5.59306°N 55.19389°W / 5.59306; -55.19389
CountrySuriname
DistrictPara District
ResortNoord
Elevation
10 m (30 ft)
Population
 (2008)
 • Total2,223
Time zoneUTC-3 (ART)

Onverwacht (Dutch for "unexpected".) [1] is the capital town of Para District, Suriname.[2]

Onverwacht started as a wood plantation with the same name and has existed as early as 1667.[3] On 18 May 1881, the plantation was sold to eight former slaves.[3] In 1910 the Lawa Railway passed through the area and a station was opened.[3] In 1936,[4] a road, currently named Indira Gandhiweg, was built parallel to the railway line to connect Paramaribo with Onverwacht. During World War II, the road was extended to Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport.[5] In 1968, Onverwacht became the capital of the newly formed Para District.[6] In 1987, the last train departed and the station at Onverwacht closed.[7]

Notable people

References

  1. ^ "Ala poewema foe Trefossa". Digital Library for Dutch Literature. 1979. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  2. ^ "Distrikt Para". Suriname.nu (in Dutch). Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  3. ^ a b c "Plantage Onverwacht geschiedenis". Pinas Roots (in Dutch). Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  4. ^ "De Gids. Almanak voor Suriname 1937". Digital Library for Dutch Literature (in Dutch). 1936. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  5. ^ "Distrikt Para info". Suriname.nu (in Dutch). Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  6. ^ "Para". Suriname View (in Dutch). Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  7. ^ "De flop van Lely". Parbode (in Dutch). Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  8. ^ "Onze sporthelden. Deel 3". Digital Library for Dutch Literature. 1999. Retrieved 13 May 2020.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Onverwacht.
Resorts and places in Para District, Suriname
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