General History of Willemstad, World Heritage City

Punda, view of the former walled city (source RDMZ 1996)		Old Willemstad, Punda, as said before, has an unmistakable Dutch character. This character is enforced by both the urban grid structure and the small plots with a front street and a back alley, which last mostly were used for transport and disposal of goods.
Otrobanda, (situated on "the other side" of the Anna Bay, the harbor entrance) in particular the alley area, exudes a pleasant, indigenous Creole atmosphere. Originally build as premises in larger open lots, the "kura" (Yard Area), this yards were filled in with premises for family and servants, thus creating a dense structure of alleys and picturesque views (Alley Area and IJzerstraat Area, now called "Kura Hulanda")
Otrobanda, Alley Area during the Open Day for Monuments 1997 (photo J.J. van der Harten 1997)

2001 - The maintainence of this site is sponsored by DDI - Design&Development Intl.

Pietermaai 1988 (photo J.J. van der Harten)		Scharloo and Pietermaai are residential districts where the then elite established themselves in the second half of the Nineteenth Century. Both of them have a distinguished character. With the departure from the city of the more prosperous members of the population, a decline, which (for the time being) has now been halted, set in the second half of the twentieth century.
The social-cultural history is also reflected in the outskirts beyond Willemstad. The island has eight forts, more than 90 "landhuizen"’ or plantation houses, 80 of which qualify for the status of listed monuments. Outside the Historic Area of Willemstad hundreds of wooden and stone-built kunuku houses (former slave-type) of historical importance exist. Of these houses, a total of about 75 are listed in the Western and Eastern urban fringes of the Historic Area of Willemstad. But the main thrust of the preservation task focuses on the preservation of the Historic Area of Willemstad itself. When the delegation of the Netherlands Committee for UNESCO visited Willemstad in 1988 for a fact finding mission, particular attention was paid to the concept that historic Willemstad as a whole possesses a great historical value. Accordingly, the criteria for the designation of buildings which qualify for preservation were set. Besides major historic buildings, more modest buildings which contributed to the value of the historic townscape and urban ensemble were considered essential and were listed as potential monuments. The number of protected buildings in the Historic Area of Willemstad counts now a total of approx. 765 monuments. The Island Development Plan of 1997 ordinates the townscape of the inner city as specific protected area on behalf of its cultural, historical and touristic values and its distinct urban morphology. This includes a chapter for the Historic Inner City which contains more detailed rules for the urban development and architecture.
View over Scharloo (foreground), Waaigat and Pietermaai (background) photo RDMZ 1996