Willemstad is the capital city of Curaçao, a Dutch Caribbean island known for its old town centre with pastel-coloured colonial architecture, which in places is vaguely reminiscent of Amsterdam.
The Mikvé Israel-Emanuel Synagogue in Willemstad is the oldest surviving synagogue in the Americas and its floor is covered entirely with sand. This tradition is thought to date back to the Spanish Inquisition, when all non-Christians including Jews were forced to convert to Christianity. Those who resisted conversion met in secret and the sand muffled the sound of their activities.
The floating Queen Emma Bridge connects the Punda and Otrobanda neighbourhoods across Sint Anna Bay.
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