Curacao's Museums

The foundation "The Curaçao Museum" was established on February 23rd in 1946 by dr. Christiaan J.H. Engels and his father-in-law Rudolph Boskaljon. The museum’s goal was to show the visitors a view of the past and at the same time exhibit contemporary local and international art. It was the first and for a long time the only museum on the island. Eventually many of the museumgoals were taken over by other museums on Curaçao and the other islands of the former Dutch Antilles. Nowadays the museum focuses on the Western influences on the Curacaoan culture, especially in the visual arts, which confirms her pluriform and multicultural background. The museum is housed in a former military hospital for yellow fever patients, built in 1853 by the Dutch Military.

The collection on display exists of paintings, etches, drawings, statues, furniture, glass and textile, made by national as well as international artists. In the museum two period rooms, a living room and a bedroom, are furnished with mainly 19th century mahogany wooden furniture. There is also a traditional Curacaon kitchen. In the West-Indie Zaal you can see the map of the Caribbean made of "stained glass" by W. Bogtman. It was made especially for the World Exhibition in New York in 1939. Also big in this room is the "Labour Panel" of Charles Eyck.

The rich collection paintings exist of work of national and international artist, including Hipolito Ocalia, Enrique Olario, Luigi Pinedo, José Maria Capricorne, Jean Girigorie, Jan Sluijters, Charley Toorop, Isaac Israëls, Edgar Fernhout, Corneille, Han van Meegeren and Carel Willink.

On the backside of the museum you can find the carillon "De Vier Konigskinderen" (The Four Princesses), named after the four daughters of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, mother of Beatrix, the queen of the Netherlands till April 2013.

The big museumgarden contains serveral statues made by local artist and a music pavilion or kiosk. In the back of the garden you can find the children’s village, consisting of a ‘Kas di Tabla’ that shows how a toko looked like in the past, a little kunuku house called ‘Kas Palu di Maishi’, an authentic indians hut and the spider ‘Kompa Nanzi’. The Snip Gallery exhibits the cockpit the first KLM plane that crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 1934 from the Netherlands to Curaçao.

It is located in a mansion built in 1729 on the Waaigat inlet, just above the Floating Market renovations were done in maritime style complete with a gangplank, portholes and ship railings, all in wood and brass. Video presentations and multimedia displays are used throughout the museum to bring Curaçao's maritime history to life. Exhibits include antique miniatures, 17th Century ship models, and maps --some dating from the 1500's.

Other highlights include representations of Spanish rule, the conquest of Curaçao by the Dutch and formation of the Dutch West India Company, the evolution of Willemstad as a naval base and maritime trading center, its explosive 20th century development -- and a projection of what is in store for the city in the new millennium. The Museum has its own ferry for tours of the harbor, and for bringing passengers from arriving cruise ships to the Museum. You can relax at the museum's harborside cafe, and browse in its gift and souvenir shop.

This museum is part of the Mikvé Israel-Emanuel Synagogue, the oldest in continuous operation in the in the Western Hemisphere. The museum displays an impressive collection of religious artifacts from the congregation's history, such as Torah scrolls and Hanukkah lamps, as well as antique personal and household items. They are one of Curaçao's most popular tourism attractions.

This picturesque museum features a complete collection of stamps from the Netherlands Antilles and other countries, as well as related artifacts such as old post boxes and scales. It is located in Punda's oldest standing building, dating from 1693.

The historic building was meticulously restored in the early 1990's. A special exhibit of theme stamps from around the world changes four times a year.

This museum is located at the back of the historic Fort Church (1769) at Fort Amsterdam (1635), near the Punda waterfront. It contains a small but elegant collection of artifacts from the church's Dutch Protestant congregation, active since 1635, including antique silver chalices and a mahogany baptismal font. History buffs will also enjoy the impressive collection of old maps of the island.

Museum Kurá Hulanda is an anthropological museum that focuses on the predominant cultures of Curacao. It offers a world-class chronicle of the Origin of Man, the African slave trade, West African Empires, Pre-Colombian gold, Mesopotamian relics and Antillean art.

When you visit the museum the receptionist at the entrance gives you a map of the museum and shows you how you can walk through the museum. She is able to give you general information about the museum and can inform you about all the various items that are on sale in the Museum Shop.

Owned and operated by the Central Bank of the Netherlands Antilles, this museum houses an impressive collection of coins that have circulated in the Netherlands Antilles, as well as a rotating exhibit of coins and bank notes from other countries. There is also a display of precious and semi-precious gemstones on permanent loan from a local collector. The museum is located in the heart of Willemstad, on one of Punda's premier s hopping streets, and is convenient to many other city attractions.

The museum gives visitors inside information and a peak into the lives of the former inhabitants of the area, starting with the first Arowak Indians who came to the island almost 4000 years ago, and continuing into modern history. Modern audio- visual concepts, historical artefacts, faces of descendents of the former slaves, photographs, completely restored antiques and much more will give the museum the tools to tell a diverse story of interdependence between humans and nature, cultural history and natural history.