Fort Nassau (officially: Fort Oranje Nassau) is a fort located in

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 Kingdo ...

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 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 The Queen Emma Bridge ( nl, Koningin Emmabrug; pap, Brùg di Ponton, Brùg di Punda) is a pontoon bridge across St. Anna Bay in Curaçao. It connects the Punda and Otrobanda quarters of the capital city, Willemstad. It was named after Emma of W ...

. 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 Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

. The name republiek refers to the

Batavian Republic The Batavian Republic ( nl, Bataafse Republiek; french: République Batave) was the successor state to the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands. It was proclaimed on 19 January 1795 and ended on 5 June 1806, with the accession of Louis Bona ...

. Seru Sablica was located on top of a hill overlooking the city of

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 ƒ60,000, and the population was reluctant to supply the slaves for its construction. In late 1797, the fort was finished. The fort consists of a rectangular battery within a ring wall. In August 1800, French troops from

Guadeloupe Guadeloupe (; ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Gwadloup, ) is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the ...

made a failed attempt to take the fort, and fled from the island on 22 September after an American warship arrived. In 1804, the British Navy commanded by

Charles Brisbane Sir Charles Brisbane KCB (1770 – December 1829) was an officer of the Royal Navy who served during the American War of Independence, and with distinction under Lords Hood and Nelson. He took part in 1796 in the capitulation of Saldanha Ba ...

tried to take Curaçao, however they came under attack from the fort, and had to retreat. Brisbane returned on the dawn of 1 January 1807 while the Dutch troops were sleeping or recovering from New Year's Eve, and managed to take the island. The fort was renamed Fort George. In March 1815, it was decided by the

Treaty of Paris Treaty of Paris may refer to one of many treaties signed in Paris, France: Treaties 1200s and 1300s * Treaty of Paris (1229), which ended the Albigensian Crusade * Treaty of Paris (1259), between Henry III of England and Louis IX of France * Trea ...

to return of Curaçao to the Netherlands. The British left on 28 January 1816, and the fort was renamed Fort Oranje Nassau, however it was commonly referred to as Fort Nassau. In 1825, the fort lost its military purpose. It was used as a control tower for the

. Since 1959, it is in use as a restaurant.

References

{{Buildings in Curaçao

Nassau Nassau may refer to: Places Bahamas *Nassau, Bahamas, capital city of the Bahamas, on the island of New Providence Canada *Nassau District, renamed Home District, regional division in Upper Canada from 1788 to 1792 *Nassau Street (Winnipeg), ...

Buildings and structures in Willemstad Buildings and structures completed in 1797