Pietermaai is a neighbourhood and former suburb of

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 ...

. Pietermaai was founded in 1675, and has been designated a

Unesco The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

History

, the capital of

was constructed as a walled city. It soon developed into one of the major centres of the

Atlantic slave trade The Atlantic slave trade, transatlantic slave trade, or Euro-American slave trade involved the transportation by slave traders of enslaved African people, mainly to the Americas. The slave trade regularly used the triangular trade route and i ...

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 Fort Amsterdam was a fort on the southern tip of Manhattan at the confluence of the Hudson and East rivers. It was the administrative headquarters for the Dutch and then English/British rule of the colony of New Netherland and subsequently the ...

. The town was named after captain Pieter de Meij. In 1707, the town of

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 subur ...

was established on the other side of

Sint Anna Bay Sint Anna Bay (Dutch: ''Sint Annabaai'') is a deep channel approximately one mile long and up to 1,000 feet wide, located on the island of Curaçao between the two parts of Willemstad, Punda and Otrobanda. The bay opens into the Caribbean Sea at t ...

, and the suburb of

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 s ...

followed, however Willemstad continued to experience growth. By 1818, the population of Pietermaai had grown to 2,334 people. The population of Willemstad with suburbs was 9,536 people. On 13 May 1861, a decision was made to demolish the city walls, construct a

wharf A wharf, quay (, also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more berths (mooring locatio ...

in the vacant area, and built residential houses in the gap separating Willemstad from Pietermaai. The concession of the project was given to S.E.L. Maduro of the Maduro family, the competitors of the Jesurun family who had a near

monopoly A monopoly (from Greek language, Greek el, μόνος, mónos, single, alone, label=none and el, πωλεῖν, pōleîn, to sell, label=none), as described by Irving Fisher, is a market with the "absence of competition", creating a situati ...

on trade. A

schism A schism ( , , or, less commonly, ) is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization, movement, or religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a split in what had previously been a single religious body, suc ...

followed, resulting in the Jesurun family leaving the Mikvé Israel-Emanuel Synagogue and founding . In 1870, the Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral was built for the parish of Pietermaai as a replacement of the old Gothic church. In 1958, it was designated as the only cathedral of the island. Collectie Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen TM-60050767 Ruines op Pietermaai na de storm van 1877 Curacao fotograaf niet bekend

Collectie Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen TM-60050767 Ruines op Pietermaai na de storm van 1877 Curacao fotograaf niet bekend

On 23 September 1877, Curaçao was struck by Hurricane Pundi which caused massive destruction. Pietermaai was the hardest hit part of the island. Large parts of the neighbourhood were destroyed or swept away by the waves. Pietermaai used to have a combination of wealthy, and working class wards. In the 1970s, Pietermaai started to experience

urban decay Urban decay (also known as urban rot, urban death or urban blight) is the sociological process by which a previously functioning city, or part of a city, falls into disrepair and decrepitude. There is no single process that leads to urban deca ...

, and became known for its drug dealing. The neighbourhood started an extensive program of urban renewal. In the 21st century, it became a trendy neighbourhood known for its night life and

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

bars. In 1997, the historic centre of Willemstad including Pietermaai was designated a

References

Bibliography

External links

Pietermaai District
* {{authority control Populated places established in 1675 Populated places in Curaçao Willemstad