Oranjestad is the capital of the Caribbean island of Aruba. Aruba is a tropical Caribbean island, a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Located off the coast of Venezuela.
Oranjestad is located in the northwestern part of the island, on the shores of a deep bay of the Caribbean Sea, along which there are long white sand beaches.
Then the city was named in honor of William I of Orange (Willem van Oranje Goll . 1533-1584), the founder of the Orange-Nassau Dynasty (Huis van Oranje-Nassau Goll.) Of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The capital of the island of Aruba – Oranjestad – literally translates as “Orange City” …but this is completely unrelated to the presence of oranges in it, which, by the way, do not grow there.
Most likely, its name is associated with colorful buildings. All buildings in the city are painted in different colors. Since ancient times, the city has preserved the Dutch architecture, which in an unpretentious way harmoniously fits into the tropical decoration of the island and the shopping centers located everywhere.
A little more than 35 thousand people live in Oranjestad, which attracts many vacationers to the desert spaces who want to spend their holidays in peace and comfort.
Access : Coordinates: 12.518611, -70.035833 / Planes from the USA, Canada and Europe fly to the Queen Beatrix International Airport. You can reach Oranjestad by cruise ship or your own yacht.
Highlights :
- History Museum : History Museum housed in the old Fort Zoutman, built in 1796. In addition, you can see the archaeological museum, the numismatic museum (some of the exhibits in the collection were raised from sunken ships), the geological museum.
- Beaches : By bus or car from the city in just five minutes you can reach many beaches. The most popular are Arashi Beach and Druif Beach, Hadikurari Beach, Bucuti Beach, Eagle Beach, Palm Beach, Roger Beach , Flamingo Beach.
- Shopping : It should be noted that Oranjestad is a great place for shopping with reasonable prices, ranging from boutiques Guess, Gucci, Ralph Lauren, Louis Vuitton -prices are much lower than in Europe.
- Aruba Aloe Balm Museum, Pitastraat 115, Oranjestad : The museum provides information on the 160-year history of aloe vera in Aruba. Visitors can get an idea of how aloe gel is obtained using a centuries-old techniques.
- The main cultural events in Oranjestad are the Annual Carnival, Children’s Parade, Bon Bini Festival, Torchlight Parade and Birthday Parade of the Queen of the Netherlands.
- church – St. Anne – is a Catholic church from the beginning of the 20th century, the highlight of which is a handmade oak altar from 1870.
- Fort Zoutman : Fort Zutman, founded by the Dutch in 1796, and the tower-lighthouse named after the King of the Netherlands in 1849-1890 Willem III ( Goll Willem III 1817-1890), erected in 1866-1868. The fort and tower are now part of the Aruba History Museum.
- Church of St. Francis of Assisi : The Church of St. Francis of Assisi also called pro-Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi1 is a Catholic church, located in Oranjestad.
- In the center of Oranjestad there are two wrecked planes in the sea. A Convair 400 in 14-20 m water depth and a Beechcraft 18 in only 5 m water depth.
Activities : sightseeing / photo opportunities / shopping tours to Aruba, beach holidays in Aruba / water sports such as scuba diving, boating, parasailing and fishing.
Go next : visit the small islet of Renaissance opposite the harbor of Oranjestad , with the famous Flamingo Beach. / Noord is in the northern part of the Caribbean island of Aruba. / to the neighboring island of Curacao.
