Three Bridges: Three Queens


Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge

The Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge links the Punda (downtown area) and the Otrobanda (a neighborhood area under renovation) areas of Willemstad. This floating bridge opens up to thirty times a day to allow ships to enter the harbor and docking areas. When the bridge is open a free ferry is used by pedestrians to get from one side of town to the other. The present bridge was constructed in 1939, and it is the third one to be in use. The first bridge was built in 1888 and has long been a source of curiosity and has become one of the wonders of the world as a tourist attraction. Most of us have pictures of the unique bridge named for a queen.

Queen Juliana Bridge

Curacao has recently completed a bridge opened to motorized traffic. It is the Queen Juliana, which took over 14 years to construct, and cost 15 lives in the process. It is elevated 185 feet above Santa Ana Bay, offering a great view of Willemstad.

Queen Wilhemina Bridge

The third bridge, Queen Wilhemina, used to be a drawbridge linking the Punda with the old residential neighborhood of Scharloo. It has since been modified into a fixed structure in Santa Anna Bay.

Queen Juliana visited the Dutch Antilles in 1955. She is honored by a statue unveiled by Governor A. B. Speekenbrink on Juliana's birthday, April 30, 1957. Queen Wilhelmina reigned from 1898 to 1948. A statue of the Queen was erected downtown in 1930 in Wilhelmina Park in front of the courthouse in Willemstad.

Tropical Nights

© 1998-2001 JKH

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