Commewijne · coffee, cacao, citrus
Katwijk: the last working coffee plantation in Suriname
Katwijk on the Commewijne River was granted in 1746 to Alida Maria Wossink, then thirteen years old, and is today the only working coffee plantation left in Suriname; 159 enslaved people were held there in 1759 and 127 were freed in 1863.
Check this This page is compiled from published sources and has not yet been verified on the ground. If you know a name, a date or an ownership detail better than we do, tell us and we will correct it with the source named.
Governor Jan Jacob Mauricius granted five hundred akkers in 1746 to Alida Maria Wossink of Paramaribo, then thirteen. In 1748 she married Christiaan de Nijs, who established the coffee; two further marriages followed after his death and the estate grew to 812 akkers by 1795. In Sranan the place is called Juliansi, or Van-Meeri.
An inventory from 1759 counts 159 enslaved people and values the plantation at 150,660 guilders. That is the form in which this administration recorded people: as an item on a balance sheet. In 1854, by government resolution of 22 July, people bought at the forced sale of the De Zwarigheid estate were transferred onto Katwijk’s books.
At the emancipation of 1 July 1863, 127 people were declared free at Katwijk. Sources give either 20 or 22 family names recorded with them; the list opens with Appeldoorn, Boonstede, Burks, Demmes and Elson. The owner was then the physician Julius Jacob Juda, who had bought the estate at auction in 1862 and immediately turned it over to cacao.
In the early twentieth century 196 Javanese indentured labourers worked here. In 1942 Katwijk was used as an internment camp for sex workers, among them the well-known Maxi Linder; they were released in 1944 when the American troops left.
The plantation has belonged to the Nouh-Chaia family since 1974. Arabica coffee and citrus are grown, with a roastery on site since 1979, and the coffee is packed and sold on the yard. About 35 families live there, mostly of Hindustani and Javanese descent, some in the old workers’ housing.
Frequently asked questions
Is coffee still grown at Katwijk?
Yes. Katwijk is the only working coffee plantation left in Suriname. Arabica and citrus are grown, a roastery has stood on the yard since 1979, and the coffee is packed and sold on site.
How many people were freed at Katwijk in 1863?
One hundred and twenty-seven. An inventory from 1759 had listed 159 enslaved people against a plantation value of 150,660 guilders. Sources give 20 or 22 family names recorded at emancipation, among them Appeldoorn, Boonstede, Burks, Demmes and Elson.
Can you visit Katwijk?
Yes, several operators include Katwijk in a day tour through Commewijne, usually leaving Paramaribo around 08:00 and returning late afternoon. About 35 families live on the yard, so this is an inhabited plantation rather than a museum.