Page 18 - AHATA
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                                                                                                           local Thursday 7 March 2024

            “Take your car off the beaten track to

            meet our monuments and their stories”



            ORANJESTAD  —  The  mix  Witsenburg  explains.  “That  monuments  and  tell  you
            of cultures in Aruba is very  goes  back  to  their  history.  about  them.  But  there  are
            visible in its architecture as  Curacao used to be a very  also  possibilities  to  have
            -like in all cultures-, monu-  wealthy island where many  your    personal   people
            ments  reflect  your  history  -mainly  Dutch-  merchants  guide. And the best is that
            and  your  people.  If  you  lived  close  together  and  I  can  almost  guarantee
            take  the  chance  to  leave  that  is  the  reason  you  find  you  the  magic  of  the  lo-
            the beach for a little while  this  typical  colonial  Dutch  cal touch when you bump
            and  take  your  car  off  the  style  buildings  packed  in  into  an  authentic  cunucu
            beaten  track  you  will  be  certain  areas  nowadays.  house (country house) and
            surprised  what  you  see.  They  have  more  than  20  talk to the owners. They will
            Anne  Witsenburg  is  direc-  years  of  United  Nations  proudly  share  their  family
            tor  of  the  Monument  Fund  Educational,     Scientific  history with you.”
            Aruba  (SMFA)  and  points  and  Cultural  Organization
            out precisely why a monu-    (UNESCO)  heritage.  Than  Outside inspiration
            mental trip should not lack  scattered  around  the  rest  The  Monument  Fund  ac-
            in your vacation’s itinerary.  of the island you will see the  quires  or  buys  monuments
                                         smaller  country  houses.”  and  restores  them  back     The  building  is  beautiful  as in using the right materi-
            The  fund  owns  15  monu-   Aruba  and  Bonaire  were  into  their  former  glory.    and  has  a  tropical  style.  als and techniques but also
            ments,  out  of  the  36  pro-  called  the  useless  islands  Than they rent it out. “That   “This  house  goes  back  to  the  social  sustainability.
            tected  monuments  in  the  in the colonial time, so any  sounds  easy,  but  it  is  in-  the  1920’s  when  it  was  That includes looking at the
            island.  “But  there  are  over  Indian  willing  to  live  here  credibly  complex  as  most   built  as  a  vacation  house  non-tangible  part  of  heri-
            300  more  monuments  on  was  given  a  small  piece  monuments  have  multiple       by  Aruban  entrepreneur  tage: the stories to be told,
            the  list  to  be  protected  of  land  to  build  his  home.  owners due to the fact that   Croes.  He  and  his  family  the music to be played, the
            and  of  course  we  dream  “That is the reason you find  inheritances  are  split  and   came here to the outdoors  dinners that were cooked in
            to  see  that  become  real-  all these typical small hous-  all  need  to  decide  upon   as in those times there was  the places we try to restore.
            ity  as  soon  as  possible.”  es  scattered  around  the  the  selling.”  They  cooper-  only  cunucu  (countryside)  That keeps it alive. Most of
            The international guidelines  island.  We  actually  have  ate  with  the  government   here.  They  had  big  parties  our monuments are meant
            that  apply  for  monuments  the same amount of monu-     office  of  monuments  be-   and  enjoyed  leisure  time  to be lived in so we would
            decide  whether  it  will  be  ments  as  Curacao  though  cause they set the rules of   with  family  and  friends.”  like  to  reintroduce  the  joy
            a  protected monument or  way smaller.”                   what you can and cannot      Richer  Arubans  at  that  of living in a monument. We
            not.  “The  building  or  ob-                             do  to  a  protected  monu-  time  looked  outwards  for  work  together  with  private
            ject needs to be at least 50  Magic local touch           ment.  “We  also  have  the   architecture  inspiration  as  companies  to  look  into
            years  old,  a  special  value  Some  of  the  monuments  task  to  maintain  the  build-  that  was  considered  chic,  that.”  In  their  office  they
            in architecture or to history  owned  by  the  Monument  ings  which  is  an  ongoing   Witsenburg  explains.  Either  installed  solar  panels,  use
            or  to  the  people  of  Aruba  Fund  Aruba  are  the  light  process.  The  wind,  the  salt   to  the  US  (art  deco  style  LED  lightning  and  recently
            is required and there has to  house,  town  hall,  water  in the air and the sun that   like the water tower in San  implemented  an  electrical
            be a certain uniqueness. If  tanks  in  both  Oranjestad  not only burns human bod-    Nicolas),  Holland  (Dutch  charging  point  for  electric
            it  was  changed  too  much  and  San  Nicolas.  “We  are  ies  but  also  buildings  are   colonial  style)  or  Colom-  vehicles.q
            throughout  time  or  there  wealthy  in  different  styled  huge  challenges.  Next  to   bia/Venezuela. “This house
            are  already  any  of  the  monuments  and  my  sug-      that we do education, cre-   is inspired by a villa around   The  Monument  Fund
            same kind it is a no go.”    gestion  is  to  discover  this  ate  awareness  and  main-  Cartagena, Colombia. The   Aruba  is  open  every
                                         world outside of the tourist  tain  public  relations  about   ideas  mostly  came  from   day from Monday to Fri-
            Useless islands              zone. The book Monumen-      our monuments.”              the wives”, she says laugh-   day  from  8am  to  5pm.
            There  is  a  difference  be-  tal  Guide  comes  in  handy  The  office  of  the  Monu-  ing.                       You  are  more  than
            tween  the  islands  when  it  as there are three maps in-  ment  Fund  is  actually  lo-                            welcome  to  ask  for  in-
            comes  to  monuments,  as  side that guide you to the  cated in a monument itself.     Sustainable driven            formation,  guiding  and
                                                                                                   Sustainability  is  a  big  thing   help.  For  more  infor-
                                                                                                   to the Monument Fund Aru-     mation  check  out  their
                                                                                                   ba. Witsenburg: “Obviously    Facebook  page  sticht-
                                                                                                   to restore old buildings and   ing monumenten fonds
                                                                                                   not  destroy  them  to  build   aruba and the website
                                                                                                   new ones is already sustain-  http://www.monumen-
                                                                                                   able in itself. Than we have   tenfondsaruba.com.
                                                                                                   the  technical  sustainability
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