Groot Kwartier
Emmastad
Neighbourhood
Church in Emmastad (1940s)
Church in Emmastad (1940s)
Groot Kwartier is located in Curaçao
Groot Kwartier
Groot Kwartier
Location in Curaçao
Coordinates: 12°08′11″N 68°54′50″W / 12.1365°N 68.9138°W / 12.1365; -68.9138
StateKingdom of the Netherlands
CountryCuraçao
CityWillemstad
Area
[1]
 • Total2.42 km2 (0.93 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[2]
 • Total2,611
 • Density1,100/km2 (2,800/sq mi)

Groot Kwartier is a neighbourhood of Willemstad, Curaçao. 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]

History

Groot 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

  1. ↑ Buurtprofiel Groot Kwartier 2011, p. 12.
  2. ↑ "Census 2011". Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  3. ↑ Buurtprofiel Groot Kwartier 2011, p. 8.
  4. ↑ Buurtprofiel Groot Kwartier 2011, p. 10.
  5. ↑ "Olie als water". Curaçao Maritime (in Dutch). pp. 1–2.
  6. 1 2 "Ontwikkeling huisvesting op Curaçao door Shell". National Archive of Curaçao (in Dutch). Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  7. ↑ Anil Ramdas (1992). De papegaai, de stier en de klimmende bougainvillea. Amsterdam: De Bezige Bij. p. 120. ISBN 90 234 3282 7.
  8. ↑ Buurtprofiel Groot Piscadera (2011). "Buurtprofiel Groot Piscadera" (PDF). Government of Curaçao (in Dutch). p. 13. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  9. ↑ Buurtprofiel Groot Kwartier 2011, p. 11.

Bibliography

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