(photo: RDMZ 1996 / ICAW-NA archive 1997)

Willemstad is structured as a double-city along the St.Anna Bay (the harbor) with on the east side Punda (Point) and on the west side Otrobanda (other side). The oldest connection between the two sides is the Emma bridge, named to Queen Emma of Holland. The Emma bridge is a unique example of a pontoon bridge and dates from 1887. It has been build by an American engineer, Leonard B. Smith. The Caribbean waves at the entrance of the harbor gives the bridge a rhythmic movement, therefore its nickname is "swinging lady". In the front Fort Amsterdam with the palace of the Governor of the Netherlands Antilles.

Fort Amsterdam and the Governor’s Palace are of general interest for the history of the Island of Curaçao on the strength of their value for architectural and cultural history. Fort Amsterdam is one of the oldest buildings on the island and is the oldest fort built by the West Indian Company (WIC) on Curaçao; The Seventeenth Century Governor’s Palace in the Center traditionally served as a center of management for the Managing Director appointed by the WIC and later for the Governor, appointed by means of Royal decree by the Kingdom of the Netherlands.