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Willemstad: UNESCO World Heritage City

UN praises multicultural structure and architecture of Willemstad

By Jane Ammeson

Curaçao packs a world of heritage into a tiny footprint. In Willemstad's 1997 inscription to the UNESCO World Heritage List, the city was praised as a "European colonial ensemble in the Caribbean of outstanding value and integrity." The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) cited Willemstad's unique multiculturalism, urban structure, and architecture.

The Punda district, formerly walled and fortified, preserves 765 monuments, including Fort Amsterdam, Mikvé Israel-Emanuel Synagogue, and the iconic Penha building on Handelskade.

The UNESCO World Heritage List includes a total of 851 outstanding properties from the Great Wall of China and the Taj Mahal to Old Havana and historic Willemstad.