Willemstad, the capital of Curaçao in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, is a well-preserved colonial trading port founded by the Dutch in 1634 around a strategic natural harbor in the southern Caribbean. Its historic inner city and harbour, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997, showcase a unique blend of Dutch-European architecture adapted to tropical conditions, with colorful 17th/19th century buildings and intact urban layout across districts like Punda and Otrobanda.