Oranjestad, Sint Eustatius

Oranjestad

Town

Beach of Lower Town.

Location on the island of Sint Eustatius

Coordinates:  [ ⚑ ] : 17°29′N 62°59′W﻿ / ﻿17.483°N 62.983°W﻿ / 17.483; -62.983
Country| Netherlands
Public body| Sint Eustatius
Population

(2001)[1]

• Total| 1,038
Time zone| UTC-4 (AST)
Climate| Aw

Oranjestad (Dutch pronunciation: [oːˈrɑɲəstɑt]; English: Orange[4] Town) is a small town of 1,038 inhabitants;[1] it is the capital and largest town of the island of Sint Eustatius in the Caribbean Netherlands. It’s not to be confused with the far larger Oranjestad in Aruba.

## Contents

* 1 Geography
* 2 History
* 2.1 Historical sites
* 3 Facilities
* 3.1 Climate
* 4 See also
* 5 References
* 6 Bibliography
* 7 External links

## Geography

Oranjestad is a historic harbour town which is divided into two main sections. Lower Town is a strip of buildings just above sea level along the waterfront, which borders on the island's safest beach. Lower Town includes dive shops, numerous colonial-era ruins, and the harbour. Upper Town has a restored historic core, and is also the island's main commercial and residential centre.

## History

### Historical sites

Fort Oranje

The restored 'Gezaghebber House' on Kerkstraat

The first colonist arrived between 1625 and 1629.[5] Sint Eustatius produced sugar and cotton, but most importantly developed into a centre of the North American slave trade.[6] In 1780, the island had an estimated population of 20,000 people including slaves. In 1781, during the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War, the island was captured and plundered by George Rodney.[5] During the capture, all archives were destroyed.[7] In 1786, it was home to 7,600 people (3,000 white, 600 coloureds and 4,000 slaves). In 1829, the population had decreased to 2,273.[5]

The main historical site in Oranjestad is Fort Oranje, a well-maintained, 17th-century fort in the direct centre of the town, overlooking the waterfront. This cliff-side fort has cannons, intact bastions and a courtyard. Nearby is a museum, the ruins of one of the oldest synagogues in the Western Hemisphere, and a Jewish cemetery.[8]

The town's historical features also include a Dutch Reformed church built in 1755,[8] which is partly in ruins but still accessible (its tower can be climbed for long-distance views), various restored 18th-century merchants' residences - including the oldest one, the Gezaghebber House (former Lieutenant Governor's residence) on Kerkstraat - and restored wooden Caribbean-style houses. Snorkeling in Oranje Bay is also interesting because of the parts of 18th century buildings on the bay side that were swept into the sea.[9]

## Facilities

Oranjestad itself contains grocery stores, restaurants, bars, a library, schools, a clinic and the administrative offices of the government. [citation needed]

### Climate

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## See also

* List of lighthouses in Sint Eustatius
* F. D. Roosevelt Airport
* St. Eustatius Church

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Geodata 2001, Saba & Sint.Eustatius, Census 2001". 2001. http://digitallibrary.cbs.cw/CBS0000228/00001. "Sum of Oranjestad Noord, Oranjestad Zuid, Concordia and Golden Rock"
2. ↑ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Saba and Sint Eustatius". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. http://www.ibiblio.org/lighthouse/sab.htm.
3. ↑ Template:Cite ngall
4. ↑ The House of Orange-Nassau — Dutch: Het Huis Oranje-Nassau — read Prince of Orange (Dutch: Prins van Oranje) and related articles for more.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Benjamins & Snelleman 1917, p. 627.
6. ↑ Benjamins & Snelleman 1917, p. 629.
7. ↑ Benjamins & Snelleman 1917, p. 93.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Sint-Eustatius en alles wat reizen boeiend maakt." (in nl). https://groenroodwit.nl/2020/10/sint-eustatius-fort-oranje-de-plek-waar-alles-samenkomt/.
9. ↑ Peter van Dun; Ben de Vries (2002). "Monumenten Boven de Wind" (in nl). Jaarboek Monumentenzorg: 139–140. https://dbnl.nl/tekst/_jaa030200201_01/_jaa030200201_01_0021.php?q=Oranjestad eustatius#hl1.
10. ↑ "SUMMARY OF CLIMATOLOGICAL DATA, PERIOD 1971 - 2000". Meteo Curacao. https://www.meteo.cw/Data_www/Climate/documents/CLIM_SUM_Eus.pdf.

## Bibliography

* Benjamins, Herman Daniël; Snelleman, Johannes (1917) (in nl). Encyclopaedie van Nederlandsch West-Indië. Leiden: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. https://www.dbnl.org/tekst/benj004ency01_01/.

## External links

* St. Eustatius Historical Foundation Museum

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