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The History of Punda

Over 400 years of history resulting in a multicultural city’s life, European architectural style and a rich array of Caribbean colours.

The beautiful History of a Colorful, Caribbean Paradise.

Gazing across Sint Annabaai at the colorful townhouses lined up on the shore, you might think that you're in the Old Country. Until you remember that the sun is shining, it's 28°C (82°F), and you're on your way to the beach. Despite the flawless weather, Willemstad feels like a Dutch city, complete with waterways and street cafes.

Residents live in the hills surrounding Schottegat, the deep inland harbor. Much of the sprawling city is traffic-clogged and rather mundane. But the crowded streets of Punda are packed with galleries and shops, while nearby Pietermaai is coming alive with restaurants, bars and clubs. Throughout the old town, the architecture is rich, with stunning examples of 17th- and 18th-century fortifications, Dutch colonial planning and diverse building styles, all of which earned this city its Unesco-protected status.

Arrival of the WIC

The West-Indische Compagnie conquers Curacao and the colonization of the island starts. A city develops through the rise of trade. What is now commonly known as Punda, was initially called De Willemstad and later got the name Punda. The district was established in 1634, when the Dutch captured the island from Spain. The name Punda is assumed to derive from the Papiamentu word Punta which in Dutch translation means De Punt, the peninsula on which Fort Amsterdam was built.

The walled Punda

The area was separated by a wall from the rest of the peninsula De Punt. The Willemstad, now Punda, then grew at a furious pace. Around 1700, the first houses outside The Willemstad arose and so the neighborhoods Otrobanda, Pietermaai and later Scharloo were created. The walled area was formed by the Breedestraat, the current Columbusstraat, the current Madurostraat and the Annabaai. Because of the boundary of the wall, the high characteristic facades and houses without gardens in Punda were created.

Color in the city

The most common question about Punda is the reason behind the coloured houses. There are different stories. On of them is that there was a doctor, Benjamin de Sola, that noted in 1817 that many people on the island had eye problems. He claimed that this had to do with the reflection of the sunlight on the white houses. The doctor therefore pleaded with the governor, Albert Kikkert, to come up with a regulation to paint the houses in a color instead of the bright white. From now on, the house owners were legally obliged to color their houses.

The floating bridge

The neighborhoods Punda and Otrobanda were separated by the St. Annabaai, which formed the entrance for all trade ships. Between these neighborhoods, small ferries sailed back and forth for the transfer of both people and goods. The first concrete proposal for the construction of a bridge came in 1868, but it was followed with fierce protests from merchants, city inhabitants and ship-owners. It was H.A. Frie who re-enacted the subject. After discussing more than a century, the bridge with the name Koningin Emma der Nederlanden (Koning Emma brug or Pontjes brug) was finally built in 1888. Today, the bridge welcomes 15.000 pedestrians a day and is known as the hotspot of Willemstad.

Trinta di mei

Trina di mei refers to the strive of employees of the Shell oil refinery on the 30th of May. The immediate cause for the strike was the stagnation of negotiations for a new collective labor agreement. Under the direction of Wilson Godett and Amador Nita, 4000 workers gather in the morning. The strike was out of control and ended in a serious popular uprising. Willemstad is in flames and various parts of Otrobanda en Punda were laid in the ashes. There were two deaths and dozens of wounded people. This strike was an important turning point in the political, cultural and social-economic relations on the island.

Opening of the Juliana bridge

This bridge was mainly intended to relieve the Koning Emma bridge which does not offer access for cars. The Juliana bridge is only intended for car traffic and is 56.4 meters high, so all large sea-going vessels, except the large cruise ships, can sail under the bridge.

Establishment of D.M.O

The incorporation of the Downtown Management Organization took place on August 1, 1988 and is a direct result from the Curacao Action Group. Initially D.M.O represented both sides of downtown Willemstad, but in 1991 the Otrobanda organization decided that each side was better represented by their own individual organizations. Since then the D.M.O represented the Punda side only. In 2005 the agreement was signed that both organizations will work together sharing common interests, responsibilities & benefits thus symbolically uniting Downtown Willemstad.

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