Historical buildings
Willemstad and the surrounding areas have a lot to offer. A lot of historical buildings are beautifuly restored. And even if the buildings are not yet restored a lot of these are very pictoresque in their current state.
On my regular trips through the districts of the city and along other areas of this island I have taken a lot of pictures. Each of the following albums represents an area or style. Enjoy the journey with me. And don't forget to come and see for yourself.
St. Jago
St Jago, a somewhat forgotten area between Scharloo and the approach road to the Juliana Bridge. Old houses, many of these built from wood in a typical West Indies style. Fortunately a lot of the old authentic houses are still in place. This gives this area its own ambiance.
In the year 2000 a start is made with the revival of this area. The roads are now for the most part in good condition.
Also in this area is a big mansion "Landuis St. Jago". This building is in rather poor condition and should be restored to save it.
Berg Altena
The most striking feature of the district Berg Altena is, coming from town, the climbing road with on both sides a chain of small coloured houses. The roofs of these houses form kind of a giant stepladder.
If you go behind this first row you find simular houses. Not as nice as the ones along the road, but still very picturesque.
At the end of the climbing road are on the left-hand side a few beautifuly restored buildings. And a bit further to the right there are two adjacent buildings, the first one still needs a lot of work, but the second one is already restored in its original state. The difference is remarkable.
Scharloo East
In the past the Scharloo district was the luxurious area of the city of Willemstad. The rich merchants were living here. This district is fallen into disrepair in the course of time. Fortunately in the last few years things are changing.
A lot of buildings in this area are restored and are now in use by banks, trust offices, laywer and consultancy firms.
Also in this area are some modern buildings located like the public library and the new office of the Central Bank of the Netherlands Antilles.
These pictures are taken along the road from the crossing with Berg Altena to the approach road of the Juliana bridge.