Willemstad

Willemstad, the capital, was declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site and impresses with its interesting architecture. Besides colorful Dutch-style gabled houses are Cunucu-houses (African huts made of mud and wattle), with thatched cottages and elegant country houses of wealthy plantation owners. Willemstad is also one of the most attractive shopping paradises in the Caribbean. In the historic city center, a statue of the famous freedom fighter Carel Mauel Piar and a memorial to the 2nd World War II fallen soldiers. The Dutch royal family donated another statue for the assistance provided in the second World War II.
The mustard yellow Fort Amsterdam is now the seat of government of the Netherlands Antilles and is in the historic center of Willemstad, whose fortifications between 1648-1861 had strategic importance. The church is still preserved, the fort was also a storehouse for food at times of siege and can be visited. A cannon ball is still today in the southwestern wall of the church. In the vicinity there is also a building from the Dutch colonial era, the Governor’s residence. Curaao The museum is located in a historic building dating from 1853 and shows old furniture, paintings, maps, and Native American artifacts. The Queen Emma pontoon bridge, and the Queen Juliana Bridge, which spans an altitude of 490 m in the harbor are also among the landmarks of Little Holland. The port has a floating market where you colorful, look with fruit and vegetable-laden barges. Nearby is the modern market building, which takes place on Saturdays from 06.00 clock in the morning the hustle and bustle of the market. Strolling through the Wilhelmina Bridge, comes to Scharloo district whose buildings from the 18th Th century. Close by is the Maritime Museum, which highlights the importance of shipping to the island through the centuries. The Mikve-Isral-Emmanuel Synagogue is the oldest Jewish house of worship in the Western Hemisphere and as interesting as the Jewish Beth Ham Cemetery. The local museum has a large collection of historically interesting pieces of art. In the old shipyard, at the site of a former slave market, now the Kur Hulanda Museum is located. It documents the history of African people of Curaao who worked as slaves during the colonial period to the plantations, and has the best collection of African objects in the entire Caribbean.


Trips

Near Hato, near the airport, imposing limestone caves can be visited. In the vast labyrinth of caves, there are stalactites, cave paintings and underground streams and waterfalls to admire. Open daily, Seaquarium offers a fascinating glimpse into the underwater world can admire 400 species of fish and feed the sharks, giant turtles and stingrays. Cas Cora, a former plantation, there is a zoo and a botanical garden. Willemstad is located outside of the University of the Netherlands Antilles. A little further away, we witness a Landhuis papaya, the Ceru Grandi (an old three-story plantation house) and the beach of Boca San Pedro. Boca Tabla is a fascinating underwater cave on the north coast. Very close to the picturesque fishing village of West Point. The St. Christoffel National Park, a nature reserve, occupies almost the entire northwestern part of the island around the same mountain. Particularly impressive are the caves with rock paintings of the Arawak Indians. In the National Park you can discover 500 different plants and 150 species of birds, including hummingbirds, iguanas and the shy Curaao Deer. The ruins of the plantation and the Zorgvliet still privately owned plantation with Savonet Savonet the museum from the 18th Century are located in the foothills of Mt.