Handelskade, a street on the Punta side of Willemstad.
Willemstad, the capital of Curaçao, is a great city for wandering. Its centre is a UNESCO World Heritage site full of 18th and 19th century buildings. The two central neighbourhoods, Otrobanda and Punta, are separated by a channel of the natural harbour that pedestrians cross on the Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge.
Crossing on the Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge from Otrobanda to Punta.
Curaçao is a Carribean island country that is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It was formerly part of the Netherlands Antilles. While the island is known mainly for beaches and diving, its history and culture form an important part of a growing tourism industry with increasing visits by cruise ships.
The baroque Penha building was built in 1708 as a merchant house.
Curaçao was colonized first by Spain then by the Netherlands which made it into a slave port. An amazing project is Kura Hulanda or Dutch Courtyard, a restoration of 65 Dutch colonial buildings to create a luxury hotel and an anthropological museum devoted to West African culture and history and to the story of the slave trade. It was initiated in 1995 by Dutch entrepreneur Jacob Gelt Dekker.
Kura Hulanda Hotel is formed from restored Dutch colonial buildings.
Kura Hulanda Museum tells the history of the slave trade.
Pontoon bridge and Punda from Rif Fort built 1828 at harbour entrance.
Old forts on each side of the harbour entrance have been incorporated into contemporary commercial space. Colourful buildings everywhere in the the city centre provide an ongoing feast for the eyes. I followed a self guided walking tour in a brochure then just moved on to whatever caught my fancy. A wonderful place to walk.
Three colourfully restored buildings in Otrobanda.
Comments