Jodensavanne Archaeological Site: Jodensavanne Settlement and Cassipora Creek Cemetery Historical Site

Address: Jodensavanne settlement and Cassipora Creek Cemetery, Para District, Suriname

Admission: Remote archaeological remains - no regular visitor facilities; access by arrangement

The Jodensavanne Archaeological Site comprises the remains of a plantation settlement and an associated cemetery located in Suriname’s Para District. The site records the material remains of a historic Jewish community that formed part of the colony’s landscape.

Surviving elements include foundations, artefacts and cemetery markers that document settlement layout, domestic life and burial practices. The Cassipora Creek Cemetery contains gravestones and funerary contexts connected to the plantation population.

The settlement and cemetery originate in the colonial period and reflect the economic and social organisation of plantation life in Suriname, including the presence of European Jewish settlers who managed estates and participated in colonial trade. Over time the settlement was largely abandoned and survives as archaeological remains and landscape traces.

Jodensavanne and the cemetery lie inland in Para District, north of the Suriname River and accessible from coastal towns by regional roads and river routes through lowland tropical forest and savannah.

• Colonial Jewish community: The site represents an early European Jewish plantation community established in Suriname’s interior colonial economy and contains both domestic and funerary archaeological remains.

What to See#

• Jodensavanne Settlement: The former Jodensavanne plantation settlement, consisting of archaeological remains of houses, infrastructure and layout from a colonial Jewish community.
• Cassipora Creek Cemetery: The Cassipora Creek Cemetery, a burial ground with surviving tombstones and funerary markers located near the settlement site.

Jodensavanne lies in Para District outside Paramaribo and is in a rural riverside location. There is no regular public transit directly to the site; most visitors reach it from Paramaribo by arranged excursions - either by 4x4 on unpaved roads or by boat along local creeks. Plan to join an organized tour or hire transport from Paramaribo (journey times vary by route, commonly around one to two hours).

• Organize visits to Jodensavanne from Paramaribo with a licensed guide or operator-overland access is limited and the site is remote, so independent travel is difficult and time-consuming.
• Plan your visit to include both the settlement remains and the Cassipora Creek cemetery; they are distinct components of the archaeological complex and are not co-located, so many visitors who see one miss the other.
• Check seasonal conditions and local advice before traveling: access routes can be affected by rainfall and local land conditions, so a guided trip minimizes the risk of getting stranded.