The Central Market is a

marketplace A marketplace or market place is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a '' souk'' (from the Arabic), ' ...

Waterkant The Waterkant is the oldest and one of the most important streets of Paramaribo, Suriname. The street is located in the historic centre on the Suriname River, and was the location where ships used to arrive. The street starts at the Onafhankeli ...

in the

centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

Paramaribo Paramaribo (; ; nicknamed Par'bo) is the capital and largest city of Suriname, located on the banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 241,000 people (2012 census), almost half of Suriname's ...

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...

. The building has two floors. The ground floor contains the food market where fruits, vegetables, meat and fish are sold. The top floor is a generic retail market where clothing, cigarettes, CDs and other consumer goods are sold. The market is located on the

Suriname River The Suriname River (Dutch: ''Surinamerivier'') is 480 km long and flows through the country Suriname. Its sources are located in the Guiana Highlands on the border between the Wilhelmina Mountains and the Eilerts de Haan Mountains (where it i ...

, and is open Monday to Saturday.

Overview

In July 1959, the city council decided to create a central, permanent market in the city which could accommodate 950 stalls. The design was difficult, because the

has a large

tidal range Tidal range is the difference in height between high tide and low tide. Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by gravitational forces exerted by the Moon and Sun and the rotation of Earth. Tidal range depends on time and location. ...

and a strong currents. The market was constructed with European Union subsidies. Even though Suriname is known for its timber reserves, the wood used was imported from the EU. The roof has a double arch allowing plenty of ventilation inside the building. The building was completed in 1969. The Central Market is one of the busiest part of the city. In the early morning, trucks and boats arrive supplying their goods to be sold at the market. The Central Market used to be known for illegal stalls outside the terrain, and the money changers which resulted in the nickname "Central Bank". In 2015, a renovation project started, and illegal stalls are no longer tolerated. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

the market was closed, and reopened in January 2021 with a one-way system with specific entrances, and exits.

References

Bibliography

* Buildings and structures in Paramaribo Retail markets in Suriname {{Retail-market-stub