Hotel & Museum Kura Hulanda

This hotel complex lies in the heart of Otrobanda, in the historical city centre of Willemstad. In the nineteen-eighties, Otrobanda had fallen into disrepair and consisted of 65 unoccupied properties, all in extremely bad state.
In 1997, at the initiative of N.V. Stadsherstel Willemstad, new life was blown into this district by giving a new function to the historical building “Bellevue” – now the hotel lobby. Restoration, renovation and new development followed, carried out by Jacob Gelt Dekker. Due to the diversity of the different buildings, no single hotel room is the same. All the little streets, alleyways and squares are included in the design and contribute to the harmony of the project.
The complex’s infrastructure connects with the local streets in the area; in this way, access through the district is preserved.
With the realization of this urban hotel, the city has regained a pleasant, contemporary and historical locale with a new function.

The museum forms part of the Kura Hulanda hotel complex. With the aid of old drawings, plans and aerial photographs, the position of the original buildings was mapped out. The workers’ simple houses, demolished in the nineteen-seventies, were reconstructed in their entirety. The museum collection is exhibited in the various separate rooms of these houses that were originally connected to each other.

Date

2001

Category

Hotels & Resorts