Spaanse Water is a town on the island of Curaçao. It contains the tourist resort Nieuwpoort,[4] the village of Santa Barbara,[1] and the Tafelberg.[5] Spaanse Water is a natural harbour and lagoon located to the east of Willemstad. The lagoon contains several bays and little islands.[6]
Spaanse Water | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Spaanse Water | |
  Spaanse Water Location in Curaçao | |
| Coordinates: 12°04′02″N 68°51′00″W / 12.0673°N 68.8501°W | |
| State | Kingdom of the Netherlands |
| Country | Curaçao |
| District | Bandariba[1] |
| Area | |
| • Total | 20.98 km2 (8.10 sq mi) |
| Population (2011)[3] | |
| • Total | 3,119 |
| • Density | 150/km2 (390/sq mi) |
History
edit
Spaanse Water was a strategically important location. In 1703, Fort Beekenburg was constructed on the Caracas Bay to protect the natural harbour and the back route to Willemstad.[7] The fort was built by Nicolaas van Beek who at the time served as Director of Curaçao.[8] It has been attacked several times by the French, English, and pirates, but has never been conquered.[9] The fort used to be owned by Royal Dutch Shell, but since 2005, it is publicly accessible.[7]
Santa Barbara is a plantation founded in 1662, and was one of the oldest and largest plantations on the island. It was not very profitable,[10] and sold in January 1875. The plantation was subsequently resold to John Godden in May 1875 who started a large scale phosphate mine on the terrain.[11] In 1915, a calcium mine was added to the site.[5] The mines are still active, and the mining company has estimated that the reserves will last until 2045.[12] In 1927, Royal Dutch Shell built an oil terminal in Spaanse Water. The oil terminal closed in 2005.[9]
In the late 20th century, Spaanse Water developed into a tourist location. The resorts Nieuwpoort,[4] Jan Thiel, and Santa Barbara Beach & Golf were established for the tourists.[13]
References
edit- ^ a b Buurtprofiel Spaanse Water 2011, p. 6.
- ^ Buurtprofiel Spaanse Water 2011, p. 10.
- ^ "Census 2011". Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
- ^ a b "Nieuwpoort". TUI (in Dutch). Retrieved 24 April 2021.
- ^ a b Buurtprofiel Spaanse Water 2011, p. 9.
- ^ "Spaanse Water" (in Dutch). Retrieved 24 April 2021.
- ^ a b "Fort Beekenburg". Columbus Magazine (in Dutch). Retrieved 24 April 2021.
- ^ "Kiekje uit de West". Haagsche courant (in Dutch). 27 July 1933. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
- ^ a b "Fort Beekenburg" (in Dutch). Retrieved 24 April 2021.
- ^ Buurtprofiel Spaanse Water 2011, p. 7.
- ^ Benjamins, Herman Daniël; Snelleman, Johannes (1917). Encyclopaedie van Nederlandsch West-Indië (in Dutch). Leiden: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. p. 560. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
{{cite book}}:|website=ignored (help) - ^ "Fuik Beach". Beautiful Curacao (in Dutch). Retrieved 24 April 2021.
- ^ "Spaanse Water Jan Thiel" (in Dutch). Retrieved 24 April 2021.
Bibliography
edit- Buurtprofiel Spaanse Water (2011). "Buurtprofiel Spaanse Water" (PDF). Government of Curaçao (in Dutch).
