nov 6, 2024
St. Eustatius, ‘ The Historical Gem’ of the Caribbean, is a small, but cherished island with a rich history and great beauty. The St. Eustatius Historical Foundation was established in 1974 to explore, preserve, document and educate the local population and tourists, about the history of this very special island. We strive, through educational programs, walking tours and presentations, to make our story known. We have, since our inception, sponsored archaeological and anthropological research on the island through many prestigious universities and scholars. This has added to the depth of knowledge of our history and our important place in the events of the 18th century. Now, with the establishment of the St. Eustatius Center for Archaeological Research, this has become a continuous learning process. This guide therefore represents our current knowledge of our beautiful island. We hope this will serve as an introduction to our great heritage, that you will visit our award-winning museum and our archaeological research center and begin to understand our great pride in the ‘Historical Gem’.
This walking tour guide will take us from the waterfront, up the Bay Path, through the major sites in the town to the St. Eustatius Historical Foundation Museum, one of the best in the Caribbean. In the center of this book you will find a numbered map of the walking tour. The numbers correspond to the sites described in this guide. We hope that you also take the time to explore some of the extended tours that we have included in the back of the guide, so that you can get a more complete understanding of this ‘Historical Gem of the Caribbean’.
nov 6, 2024
Experience the historic city on your own by strolling through the town centre with this architectural guide. In it you will find an eastern and a western walking tour, both starting at St. Anna Bay near the Queen Emma pontoon-bridge. The eastern tour will guide you through the oldest part of Willemstad, nowadays called Punda, and through a small part of the Scharloo district. The length of this route is about 21/4 km. The western tour takes you through the Otrobanda district, on the other side of St. Anna Bay. The length of this route is about 2 km.
Willemstad, a UNESCO World Heritage City
The old city of Willemstad is made up of four quarters: Punda, Scharloo and Pietermaai at the eastern side and Otrobanda at the western side of St. Anna Bay, the deep water channel that divides Willemstad in two halves. About half of the buildings in historic Willemstad were proclaimed protected monuments in the 1990s by the island government. Approximately 750 monuments in a city structure that have not materially changed in the course of three centuries, originally Dutch but during its development influenced by various other cultures make Willemstad a unique city in the Caribbean. This uniqueness was the main consideration of UNESCO that led to placing ‘Historic Willemstad’ on the World Heritage List in December 1997.
nov 5, 2024
Eksperensiá e siudat históriko riba bo mes, kanando den sentro di siudat ku e guia di arkitektura akí. Den dje lo bo haña un kaminata pa ost i unu pa wèst, tur dos kuminsando na Bahia di Santa Ana serka di e brùg di ponton Reina Emma. E kaminata pa parti ost lo laga bo pasa den e parti mas bieu di Willemstad, awendia yamá Punda, i den un parti chikí di e bario di Skaló. E ruta akí tin un largura di mas o ménos 2,75 kilometer. E kaminata pa parti wèst ta guia bo den e distrito di Otrobanda, na e otro banda di Bahia di Santa Ana. E ruta akí tin un largura di mas o ménos 3,25 kilometer.
Willemstad, un Siudat Patrimonio Mundial di UNESCO
E suidat históriko di Willemstad ta konsistí di kuater parti: Punda, Skalo i Pietermaai na e parti ost i Otrabanda ku ta keda na e parti wèst di Bahia Santa Anna. Esaki ta e kanal di awa profundo ku ta dividí Willemstad den dos mitar. Na añanan 90 mas o ménos, mitar di e edifisionan na Willemstad históriko a ser proklamá monumento pa gobièrnu di Kòrsou. Aproksimadamente 750 monumento den un struktura di siudat, ku no a kambia substansialmente den transkurso di tres siglo, originalmente hulandes pero ku durante su desaroyo a ser influenshá pa diferente otro kultura, ta hasi Willemstad un siudat úniko den Karibe. E singularidat akí tabata e konsiderashon prinsipal pa UNESCO ku a sòru pa nan pone ‘Willemstad Históriko riba e lista Suidat Patrimonio Mundial (World Heritage List) na desèmber 1997.
