Curacao is a very vibrant island. The culture is so rich, the architecture is beautiful, and I fell in love with Curacao. The capital city of Curacao, Willemstad, is actually a UNESCO World Heritage site. This impressive place features a range of Dutch colonial architecture, including houses in a variety of eye-catching colors. The city also includes the Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge or Pontjesbrug,’ which is a hinged, propeller-driven crossing that can be moved if boats need to pass through.
Curacao’s official language is called Papiamento, which is a unique blend of Spanish, Portuguese and Dutch with a hint of English and French thrown in. This blended language is a living reminder of the island’s indigenous and colonial history.
The capital city of Curacao, Willemstad, is actually a UNESCO World Heritage site. This impressive place features a range of Dutch colonial architecture, including houses in a variety of eye-catching colors. The city also includes the Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge or Pontjesbrug,’ which is a hinged, propeller-driven crossing that can be moved if boats need to pass through.
In 1817, the local governor faced eye problems because of the sunlight reflection in the sprinkling white houses. Therefore, he prohibited people to paint their houses white and even obligated them to paint their dwellings in a different colour within thirty days.The most photographed building in Willemstad is the "Wedding Cake" house built in 1916. It got this nickname because the front of the building looks like it's covered in white frosting. This green & white building now serves as the National Archive.
During the early 18th century, the island's deep port and strategic position attracted the British and French, who as always were busy in the Caribbean, fighting over various islands in desperate struggles to control the profitable trade routes and sugar plantations of the larger islands. Brittain tossed out the Dutch twice, from 1800 to 1803, and again from 1807 to 1815. The 1815 Treaty of Paris settled a lot of disputes in the Caribbean, and it gave Curacao back to the Dutch West India Company.
Commentaires