Museums

Each of the 140 or so plantation houses that are scattered about Curaco are worthy of their own museums, but sadly most lay in ruins or have been converted to restaurants or hotels. One of the few that serves a cultural function is Rooi Catootje, located in one of Curaçao’s busiest residential areas. When you enter this charming plantation house built circa 1820 you’re entering a completely different era. The museum displays antique furniture and permanent exhibits of memorabilia collected by four generations of the Maduro family, the owners of the property. Items such as postcards, phonograph records, stamps, bank notes and coins can all be admired here, but behind the museum is yet another striking building which was erected in 2010. It houses an innovative, state-of-the-art library that stores documents, books, manuscripts, periodicals and other archival materials that have been collected on Curacao over the past six decades.

Curaçao owes its existence to the sea. Its strategic location and natural harbor made it a major seafaring and commercial center from early in its history. The museums interior harmoniously embraces the age-old maritime history and modern design in a historic 17th century building spectacularly restored to its former glory. The museum is located in a mansion built in 1729 on the Waaigat inlet just above the floating market. Exhibits include antique miniatures, 17th century ship models and maps, some even dating back to 1500.

Kas di Pal'I Maishi is a traditional adobe house with a latched roof built about 130 years ago. It illustrates the way the Afro-Curaçaoan rural population of Curaçao lived till about 1950. The method of construction dates back to before the year 1700 and coincide with the coming of the enslaved Africans. Inside there is a small museum with typical household artifacts from the past. In the backyard local food is served at lunchtime. This museum forms part of the memory of the Afro-Curaçaoan heritage.

Children’s Museum Curaçao is a place where children learn through the power of play. At Children’s Museum Curaçao, we provide a rich environment that stimulates children’s natural curiosity and creativity. In contrast with traditional museums that typically have a hands-off policy, Children’s Museum Curaçao features interactive exhibit zones that are designed especially for children and their developmental needs.

The Fortchurch is the oldest church on the island (1769), a monument within the Fort Amsterdam walls. The solid mahogany Governor's bench and the solid mahogany pulpit date back to 1769. The museum houses a small elegant collection of artifacts from the church's Dutch Protestant congregation (1635) , such as antique silver chalices, a mahogany and silver baptismal font

The forced relocation of Africans from Africa to the Americas and the Caribbean by Europeans from the 17th to the 19th centuries, changed the face of the world forever. Museum Kura Hulanda is situated right at the city-center harbor of Willemstad, where Dutch entrepreneurs once traded and transshipped enslaved Africans along with other 'commercial goods'. This museum impressively exhibits the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade in its totality, from slave capture in Africa through the Middle Passage and the relocation in the New World. The museum Kura Hulanda also demonstrates that the African and diverse cultural heritage has influenced Curaçaoan and Caribbean societies until today.

Located in the Western part of Otrobanda, the Curacao Museum is housed in a colonial style building and conveys an air of authenticity at the very first glance. In this spacious museum the geological history of Curacao is displayed, as well as pre-Colombian Indian artifacts; maps and charts of America and the Caribbean region; professions the afro-Curaçaoan practiced after the abolition of slavery, their beliefs and mode of living, a traditional plantation kitchen; antique mahogany furniture (18th and 19th century) and paintings by local and international artist.

Unique in the Caribbean region is the carillon with 47 bells. The Snipgallery houses the cockpit of the "Snip", the first KLM plane to cross the Atlantic Ocean in 1934. The large shaded grounds are a pleasant place to stroll. Occasionally the museum grounds are the venue for musical concerts.

The oldest synagogue building in continuous use in the Western Hemisphere. In 1970 a Jewish Cultural Museum was established adjacent to the synagogue. There we have set up a display of many interesting and unusual objects illustrating the culture and history of the Jewish community. Many of these objects are still in use in the Synagogue today.The Fortchurch is the oldest church on the island (1769), a monument within the Fort Amsterdam walls. The solid mahogany Governor's bench and the solid mahogany pulpit date back to 1769. The museum houses a small elegant collection of artifacts from the church's Dutch Protestant congregation (1635) , such as antique silver chalices, a mahogany and silver baptismal font and an antique mahogany 'bible table', formerly used in 'landhouses'. A documentation of the island's most notable families and an impressive collection of old maps of Curacao are exhibited.

One of the most significant stories in Curacao's history began at one of the most picturesque places on the island, on top of a hill near Playa Kenapa. A slave named Tula instigated a brave revolt against his Dutch masters here at the impressive plantation at Landhuis Kenepa. The slave rebellion of 1795 and its brutal suppression by the European landowners is the central story of the museum. Unfortunately, the museum doesn’t do much justice to the struggle of Tula and his army of enslaved people that eventually led to the abolition of slavery in Curacao. The exhibit are divided over two floors, attempting to show how people lived and worked in these unthinkable times, but it fails -at least, to our humble opinion- on all fronts.

This museum, which is housed in one of the largest and oldest plantations on the island dating back to 1640, is one of the latest additions to Curacao's cultural scene. The museum takes a look at the lives of the former inhabitants of the area starting with the first Arawak Indians and continuing into modern history. The audio tour is worth the money as it reveals many more secrets about the harsh plantation days. Antique household items and other historic artefacts, documents and pictures are on display, but, unfortunately, to put it mildly, they're not presented in a straightforward, logical manner. This makes a visit here more like a treasure hunt than a relaxing visit to an interesting museum.

Although most tourists have probably never heard of Simón Bolívar (1783 - 1830), this Venezuelan freedom fighter enjoyed a brief history on Curacao. In fact, Bolívar was granted refuge in Willemstad in 1812, before he sailed out and assembled the forces with which he eventually put an end to Spanish colonial rule in South America. In this lovingly restored, two-storey octagonal building you’ll find a couple of spacious rooms displaying a number of interesting artefacts including authentic period furniture. Locals call the house Daki Parasol, a reference to its unusual dome-shaped roof covered with wooden shingles.

The National Archaeological Anthropological Museum Foundation was established in March 1998. The National Museum, as it is popularly known, directly evolved from a Netherlands Antilles governmental department for scientific research, called the Archeological Anthropological Institute of the Netherlands Antilles (AAINA). AAINA was established in 1966 to conduct archaeological and anthropological research on the islands of the Netherlands Antilles.

The National Museum greatly benefits from the results of more than 30 years of research on all the Islands of the Netherlands Antilles. Collections under the management of the National Museum include numerous (pre-Columbian) archaeological artifacts as well as ethnographic objects from the late 19th century to the present.

"Postal Museum is at Kaya Toni Prince in Punda. The museum features a collection of stamps from the Netherlands Antilles and other countries as well as related artifacts, such as old post boxes and scales. Special exhibits of theme stamps from around the world change quarterly. The museum is housed in Punda's oldest surviving building, which dates from 1693.Yubi" Kirindongo started working as an artist in 1978. Since then he has participated in several international events,