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Congress Hall (Paramaribo)

Coordinates: 5°49′33″N 55°09′08″W / 5.82577°N 55.15222°W / 5.82577; -55.15222
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Congress Hall
Congress Hall (Paramaribo) is located in Paramaribo
Congress Hall (Paramaribo)
Location within Paramaribo
General information
Town or cityParamaribo
CountrySuriname Suriname
Coordinates5°49′33″N 55°09′08″W / 5.82577°N 55.15222°W / 5.82577; -55.15222
Completed1999[1]
Costƒ 2 million.[2]
Design and construction
Architect(s)Arie Verkuijl [nl][3]

The Congress Hall (Dutch: Congreshal) is a convention and exhibition centre in Paramaribo, Suriname. It is located on Onafhankelijkheidsplein, and was completed in 1999.[1]

Overview

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In 1998, the Wijdenbosch government decided to build a convention centre for the 1999 CARICOM meeting.[1] The Congress Hall was to be built on the location of the Palace Hotel.[4] Arie Verkuijl [nl] was chosen to design the building.[3] Verkuijl wanted a completely transparent building. Aluminium was not an option,[5] therefore, the building was constructed using steel and acrylite, commonly known as plexiglass.[6] The Congresshall was built in six months, but initially suffered from a leakage problem which required the replacement of the stage and flooring.[1]

The former Palace Hotel

The Congress Hall is considered a controversial building. There are people who consider the building out of place among the historic wooden buildings in Paramaribo,[1][3][6] and a poor replacement of the Palace Hotel,[4] while others praise the vision of the architect.[5] The statues of Jagernath Lachmon and Jopie Pengel are located on the square across the building.[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Splinternieuwe congreshal al in verval". Cobouw (in Dutch). Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  2. ^ "Hoopvol naar een nieuw begin". Reformatorisch Dagblad via Digibron (in Dutch). 3 June 2000. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "Altijd langs andere wegen". Werkgroep Caraibische Letteren (in Dutch). Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Palace Hotel [X], Onafhankelijkheidsplein 6". City of Paramaribo (in Dutch). Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Shiny dingen vind je niet bij Verkuijl". Surgoed (in Dutch). Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Architectuur in Suriname" (PDF). Sabaku (in Dutch). 2011. p. 14. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 September 2018. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  7. ^ "Vuurdans, hoogtepunt van 'Earth Hour'". Star Nieuws (in Dutch). Retrieved 28 March 2021.