Willemstad, Curaçao
One of my favorite city skylines and walkable downtowns is Willemstad, Curaçao. Willemstad is the capital of Curaçao and the historic capital of the Netherlands Antilles, so the city has had close to 400 years of commerce and history. Thanks to the Queen Emma Bridge, passengers who arrive via cruise ship can take a fifteen-minute walk from the cruise terminal to Punda or downtown.
Curaçao is an easy location for Americans to find a taste of the Netherlands without crossing the Atlantic Ocean. Many vendors carry goods made on the island or that come from the mainland. Many of the shops and restaurants cater to tourists, and there are many places where you can easily part with your American dollars.
Besides tourism, Willemstad is home to what was once the world’s largest oil refinery. The Royal Dutch Petroleum Company once used this refinery for Venezuelan crude oil. Still, its operation has been on hold since 2019. Because Curaçao is not home to oil reserves, downtown Willemstad is considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and there was a long history of pollution and neglect, it is possible that Curaçao will never reopen its refinery, meaning that more of its economy will continue to focus on tourism. In July 2024, Hong Kong-based Oryx Group signed a 30-year lease of the refinery, but it has not reopened.
Touristy signs appear in many locations downtown, but also the more critical sites for the locals. For instance, I found a statue of Dr. Moises Frumencio Da Costa Gomez, the first Prime Minister of the Netherlands Antilles, a researcher who put his dissertation into political practice, advocating for self-government and universal suffrage that has led to greater autonomy for all of the islands of the Dutch Caribbean.
Willemstad is a fascinating city, and it is worthwhile to walk around and get lost in the history and culture of Curaçao.
