Groot Kwartier is a neighbourhood of Willemstad, Curaçao, a Lesser Antilles island in the Dutch Caribbean. It is better known as Emmastad, a villa ward built by Royal Dutch Shell for its employees. Emmastad is officially part of Groot Kwartier.[3]
Groot Kwartier
Emmastad | |
|---|---|
Neighbourhood | |
 Church in Emmastad (1940s) | |
  Groot Kwartier Location in Curaçao | |
| Coordinates: 12°08′11″N 68°54′50″W / 12.1365°N 68.9138°W | |
| State | Kingdom of the Netherlands |
| Country | Curaçao |
| City | Willemstad |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.42 km2 (0.93 sq mi) |
| Population (2011)[2] | |
| • Total | 2,611 |
| • Density | 1,100/km2 (2,800/sq mi) |
History
editGroot Kwartier started as a plantation in 1694. The plantation produced bananas, divi-divi and livestock, but was mainly known for its large fresh water supply.[4] In 1915, the nearby plantation Asiento was bought by Royal Dutch Shell. Initially the grounds were used as a harbour. In 1923, neighbourhoods were built on Groot Kwartier to house employees hired from other Caribbean islands. In 1929, the area owned by Shell was renamed Emmastad.[5]
Between 1945 and 1955, Emmastad was enlarged with residential neighbourhoods for the Dutch employees of Royal Dutch Shell.[6] The houses constructed during that period were luxurious, free-standing villas.[6] Emmastad was a segregated and gated community where blacks and coloureds were only allowed entry with a special pass.[7] In the 1960s, Shell started selling the houses.[8] Emmastad is no longer segregated, and has become a popular neighbourhood for the middle class, however the older parts of Groot Kwartier are poorer.[9]
References
edit- ^ Buurtprofiel Groot Kwartier 2011, p. 12.
- ^ "Census 2011". Central Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original on 1 June 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
- ^ Buurtprofiel Groot Kwartier 2011, p. 8.
- ^ Buurtprofiel Groot Kwartier 2011, p. 10.
- ^ "Olie als water". Curaçao Maritime (in Dutch). pp. 1–2. Archived from the original on 2022-08-12. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
- ^ a b "Ontwikkeling huisvesting op Curaçao door Shell". National Archive of Curaçao (in Dutch). Retrieved 26 April 2021.
- ^ Anil Ramdas (1992). De papegaai, de stier en de klimmende bougainvillea. Amsterdam: De Bezige Bij. p. 120. ISBN 90 234 3282 7.
- ^ Buurtprofiel Groot Piscadera (2011). "Buurtprofiel Groot Piscadera" (PDF). Government of Curaçao (in Dutch). p. 13. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
- ^ Buurtprofiel Groot Kwartier 2011, p. 11.
Bibliography
edit- Buurtprofiel Groot Kwartier (2011). "Buurtprofiel Groot Kwartier" (PDF). Government of Curaçao (in Dutch).
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