Curacao

The tropical island of Curasao became a Dutch colony in 1634. On St Anna Bay, an almost perfect natural harbor, the West India Company erected Fort Amsterdam to defend its new possession. It was around this fort that the colorful town of Willemstad gradually evolved. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries Willemstad became a trading center and staple port for goods from all over the Caribbean.
Willemstad, City of Monuments, gives a detailed account of the urban development of Willemstad, and examines its magnificent architectural heritage. The oldest quarters, Punda and Otrobanda, have the look of a small town in Holland, with their gables and narrow streets. Gradually the Dutch influence blended with local traditions to produce a style of architecture which is unique to Willemstad. In 1817 it was decreed that houses were no longer to be whitewashed, for it was believed that the dazzle of the tropical sun reflecting off white walls was harmful to the eyes. This gave rise to the Curaqaoan custom of painting houses red, yellow, blue and green. The 46 color photographs in this book give a fascinating picture of the most important buildings in Willemstad, from seventeenth-century houses to the Mgr Verriet Institute, which Gerrit Rietveld designed in 1949.