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Willemstad
Willemstad ( , ; ; en, William I of the Netherlands, William Town, italic=yes) is the capital city of Curaçao, an island in the southern Caribbean Sea that forms a Countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It was the capital of the Netherlands Antilles prior to its Dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles, dissolution in 2010. The historic centre of the city consists of four quarters: the Punda and Otrobanda, which are separated by the Sint Anna Bay, an inlet that leads into the large natural harbour called the Schottegat, as well as the Scharloo and Pietermaai Smal quarters, which are across from each other on the smaller Waaigat harbour. Willemstad is home to the Curaçao synagogue, the oldest surviving synagogue in the Americas. The city centre, with its unique architecture and harbour entry, has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. History Punda was established in 1634, when the Dutch captured the island fro ...
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Curaçao
Curaçao ( ; ; pap, Kòrsou, ), officially the Country of Curaçao ( nl, Land Curaçao; pap, Pais Kòrsou), is a Lesser Antilles island country in the southern Caribbean Sea and the Dutch Caribbean region, about north of the Venezuela coast. It is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Together with Aruba and Bonaire, it forms the ABC islands. Collectively, Curaçao, Aruba, and other Dutch islands in the Caribbean are often called the Dutch Caribbean. Curaçao was formerly part of the Curaçao and Dependencies colony from 1815 to 1954 and later the Netherlands Antilles from 1954 to 2010, as Island Territory of Curaçao ( nl, Eilandgebied Curaçao, links=no, pap, Teritorio Insular di Kòrsou, links=no), and is now formally called the Country of Curaçao. It includes the main island of Curaçao and the much smaller, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao ("Little Curaçao"). Curaçao has a population of 158,665 (January 2019 est.), with an area of ; its ...
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1969 Curaçao Uprising
The 1969 Curaçao uprising (known as ''Trinta di Mei'', "Thirtieth of May", in Papiamentu, the local language) was a series of riots on the Caribbean island of Curaçao, then part of the Netherlands Antilles, a semi-independent country in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The uprising took place mainly on May 30, but continued into the night of May 31 June 1, 1969. The riots arose from a strike by workers in the oil industry. A protest rally during the strike turned violent, leading to widespread looting and destruction of buildings and vehicles in the central business district of Curaçao's capital, Willemstad. Several causes for the uprising have been cited. The island's economy, after decades of prosperity brought about by the oil industry, particularly a Shell refinery, was in decline and unemployment was rising. Curaçao, a former colony of the Netherlands, became part of the semi-independent Netherlands Antilles under a 1954 charter, which redefined the relationship betwee ...
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Pietermaai
Pietermaai is a neighbourhood and former suburb of Willemstad, Curaçao. Pietermaai was founded in 1675, and has been designated a Unesco World Heritage Site. History Willemstad, the capital of Curaçao was constructed as a walled city. It soon developed into one of the major centres of the Atlantic slave trade which triggered a rapid population growth. In the late 17th century, there were over 200 houses within the city walls. In 1675, it was decided to construct the town of Pietermaai outside of the enclosed city. It was to be separated from the city by an area of about 500 metres in which construction was not allowed as not to obstruct the cannons in Fort Amsterdam. The town was named after captain Pieter de Meij. In 1707, the town of Otrobanda was established on the other side of Sint Anna Bay, and the suburb of Scharloo followed, however Willemstad continued to experience growth. By 1818, the population of Pietermaai had grown to 2,334 people. The population of Willemstad with ...
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Pietermaai Smal
Pietermaai is a neighbourhood and former suburb of Willemstad, Curaçao. Pietermaai was founded in 1675, and has been designated a Unesco World Heritage Site. History Willemstad, the capital of Curaçao was constructed as a walled city. It soon developed into one of the major centres of the Atlantic slave trade which triggered a rapid population growth. In the late 17th century, there were over 200 houses within the city walls. In 1675, it was decided to construct the town of Pietermaai outside of the enclosed city. It was to be separated from the city by an area of about 500 metres in which construction was not allowed as not to obstruct the cannons in Fort Amsterdam. The town was named after captain Pieter de Meij. In 1707, the town of Otrobanda was established on the other side of Sint Anna Bay, and the suburb of Scharloo followed, however Willemstad continued to experience growth. By 1818, the population of Pietermaai had grown to 2,334 people. The population of Willemstad with ...
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Otrobanda
Otrobanda is one of the historic quarters of Willemstad, located at the southwest side of the city, in Curaçao. Otrobanda was founded in 1707, and has been designated a Unesco World Heritage Site. History Otrobanda was founded in 1707 as a suburb of Willemstad on the other side of the Sint Anna Bay. Otrobanda was often referred to as the Spanish side, and Punda and Pietermaai were called the Holland side. In 1752, In 1816, the population of Otrobanda was 2,527 people. In 1856, the Sint-Elisabeth Hospital, the first hospital of the country, was opened in Otrobanda. In 2019, it was replaced by Curaçao Medical Center which built next to the old hospital. the Basilica of St. Anne was built as the first Roman Catholic church on the island. The district saw a rapid population increase up in the early 19th century when the once walled city of Willemstad became overpopulated. Otrobanda was connected to Punda in 1888 via the Queen Emma Bridge (affectionately known as "The Swinging Old L ...
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Fort Amsterdam (Curaçao)
Fort Amsterdam is a fort located in Willemstad, Curaçao. It was constructed in 1634 by the Dutch West India Company (WIC) and served not only as a military fort but also as the headquarters of the WIC. Currently it serves as the seat of the government and governor of Curaçao. The fort is named after the Amsterdam chamber of the WIC and was considered the main of eight forts on the island. History Construction, design and use In the 1630s the Dutch West India Company was searching for a new outpost in the Caribbean. The company set its sight on Curaçao, which was then a Spanish possession. In 1634 the Dutch admiral Johannes van Walbeeck, together with 200 soldiers, landed on the island and fought the 32 Spanish troops, who surrendered on 21 August 1634, after resisting for three weeks. Van Walbeeck ordered the construction of a fort at the mouth of the Sint Anna Bay. Dutch soldiers and slaves from Angola built the fort, which became the headquarters of the WIC from the outset. C ...
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Fort Nassau (Curaçao)
Fort Nassau (officially: Fort Oranje Nassau) is a fort located in Willemstad, Curaçao. It is located on a high hill overlooking the city of Willemstad and its harbour. It was constructed in 1796 as Fort Republiek. In 1807, Curaçao was captured by the British, and the fort was renamed Fort George. In 1816, Curaçao was returned to Netherlands, and the fort received its current name. It lost its military function, but was used as a control tower for the Queen Emma Bridge. Since 1959, it is in use as a restaurant. History In 1796, Johann Lauffer, commander of the Military Committee, and later governor of Curaçao, ordered the construction of Fort Republiek to protect Curaçao from attacks by the British Navy. The name republiek refers to the Batavian Republic. Seru Sablica was located on top of a hill overlooking the city of Willemstad and its harbour, and was deemed to best location to construct a fort, however the ground was part of plantation Knip. The fort was expensive at ƒ ...
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Scharloo
Scharloo ( pap, Skálo) is a neighbourhood and former suburb of Willemstad, Curaçao. Scharloo started as a plantation, but became a wealthy neighbourhood of Willemstad. Scharloo has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. History Scharloo started in 1634 as a plantation of the Dutch West Indies Company. The ground turned out to be infertile, and the plantation was soon abandoned. In 1694, the first wharf was built on Scharloo. In 1753, some houses had been built in Scharloo, however the government considered the area important for defence and did not allow new construction. From 1850 onwards, Scharloo started to develop. In 1861, the city walls were demolished, and a bridge was built in 1881 connecting Scharloo with Pietermaai. From 1870 onwards, wealthy Jewish merchants started to built villas in Scharloo. The hurricane of 1877 which destroyed a large part of Pietermaai, accelerated the growth of the neighbourhood. and Scharloo quickly became the wealthiest part of the ...
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Queen Juliana Bridge
Koningin Julianabrug is a four lane road bridge across St. Anna Bay in Willemstad, the capital of Caribbean island country Curaçao, which is part of The Kingdom of The Netherlands. The bridge is named after Juliana of the Netherlands. While under construction the eastern part of the bridge collapsed in 1967 killing fifteen workers, and was replaced. The current bridge opened on Queen's Day, 30 April 1974. Reaching a height of 56.4 metres (185 feet) above the water at its apex (to accommodate ships entering the narrow harbour), it weighs 3,400 tons. The view from the apex includes the entire panorama of Punda, Otrobanda, and the Schottegat and is one of the highest vantage points on the island. The Queen Juliana bridge was constructed to allow automobile traffic to cross from Punda to Otrobanda. Once the Queen Juliana bridge was completed, the Queen Emma Bridge was closed to traffic and open only to pedestrians. Gallery File:Curacao-Bridges-2013.JPG, The Queen Juliana (bac ...
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Netherlands Antilles
nl, In vrijheid verenigd"Unified by freedom" , national_anthem = , common_languages = Dutch English Papiamento , demonym = Netherlands Antillean , capital = Willemstad , year_start = 1954 , year_end = 2010 , date_start = 15 December , date_end = 10 October , event_start = Established , event_end = Disestablished , event2 = Secession of Aruba , date_event2 = 1 January 1986 , p1 = Curaçao and Dependencies , flag_p1 = Flag of the Netherlands.svg , s1 = Aruba , flag_s1 = Flag of Aruba.svg , s2 = Curaçao , flag_s2 = Flag of Curaçao.svg , s3 = Sint Maarten , flag_s3 = Flag of Sint Maarten.svg , s4 = Caribbean Netherlands , flag_s4 = Flag of the Netherlands.svg , legislature = Parliament of the Netherlands Antilles , title_leader = Monarchs , leader1 = Juliana , year_leader1 = 1954–1980 , leader2 = Beatrix , year_leader2 = 1980–2010 , title_representative = Governor , representative1 = Teun Struycken , year_representative1 = 1951-1956 (first) , ...
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Papiamento
Papiamento () or Papiamentu (; nl, Papiaments) is a Portuguese-based creole language spoken in the Dutch Caribbean. It is the most widely spoken language on the Caribbean ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao), with official status in Aruba and Curaçao. Papiamento is also a recognised language in the Dutch public bodies of Sint-Eustatius and Saba.Papiamento can be used in relations with the Dutch government. The language, spelled in Aruba and in Bonaire and Curaçao, is largely based on colonial-era Portuguese and Spanish (including Judaeo-Portuguese), and has been influenced considerably by Dutch and Venezuelan Spanish. Due to lexical similarities between Spanish and Portuguese, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact origin of some words. Though there are different theories about its origins, most linguists now believe that Papiamento emerged from the Spanish and Portuguese creole languages that developed in the West African coasts, as it has many similarities with Ca ...
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Curaçao Synagogue
The Mikvé Israel-Emanuel Synagogue ( he, בית הכנסת מקווה ישראל-עמנואל; en, The Hope of Israel-Emanuel Synagogue), in Willemstad, Curaçao, is the oldest surviving synagogue in the Americas. It is commonly known as the ''Snoa'' (short for esnoga, an old Portuguese and Judaeo-Spanish word for synagogue) and is a major tourist attraction in Curaçao, with one notable group of visitors including Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and her family, in 1992. The community (congregation ''Mikvé Israel'') dates from the 1650s, and consisted of Spanish and Portuguese Jews from the Netherlands and Brazil. In the nineteenth century there was a breakaway Reform community (Emanu El); the two merged to form the present community in 1964. The community is now affiliated with Reconstructionist Judaism. The first synagogue building was purchased in 1674; the current building dates from 1730. One visitor to the synagogue observed, upon entering through a quiet courtyard, ...
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