La Boutique del Caribe – Punda Then and Now
posted on: July 5, 2014
Landhuis Bloemhof is opening a new exhibition on
Saturday, July 12th, 2014
at 10:30 a.m
‘La Boutique del Caribe – Punda Then and Now’
Curated by Jorge Miguel Cuartas de Marchena
Opening words by Mr. Ram Boolchand
Wednesday evening, August 13, 2014, Landhuis Bloemhof hosts a special discussion-evening on the future of Punda. The event takes place from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Free admission. Visitors are encouraged to participate with their own proposals to reinvigorate Punda.
Punda was once known as ‘La Boutique del Caribe’. Tourists from around the world traveled to Curaçao and would stand in line to visit shops in Curaçao’s downtown. Locals dressed up to meet their family and friends in Punda, do some window shopping and buy quality items in local stores.
This exhibition shows the economic activity in Punda from1900 till today through photographs, memorabilia and scale models of well known shops like Spritzer & Fuhrmann, Penha, El Louvre, El Globo, Boekhandel Salas, El Siglo, Palais Hindu, La Bonanza, Casa Cohen and many more.
Many of these old shops have disappeared. But Punda is still an attractive destination in the Caribbean and the grandeur of the town is certainly still apparent in its architecture. Punda is part of Curaçao’s capital Willemstad, a Unesco World Heritage City since 1997. Click here to visit the Facebook page of La Boutique del Caribe.
The exhibition remains till August 15, 2014.
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The capital of Curaçao, Willemstad, is divided in two by the harbor entrance, the St. Anna Bay. The part of Willemstad on the East side of the bay is called Punda. Development on this side started after the arrival of the Dutch colonists in 1634. On the other side of the bay lies Otrobanda, meaning ‘the other side’. This part was developed from the 18th century onwards. Both parts of Willemstad are listed as Unesco World Heritage since 1997. However, the present exhibition in Landhuis Bloemhof focuses solely on Punda.
Landhuis Bloemhof
Santa Rosaweg 6
Curaçao
Dutch Caribbean
(+5999) 737 5775
info@bloemhof.cw
