Fort Church, Curaçao

In 1635, after the conquest of Curaçao by the Dutch West India Company, construction started of Fort Amsterdam.^[5] The next year, a wooden Dutch Reformed church was constructed.^[4] In 1766, the present church was built to serve the garrison, and was consecrated im 1769.^[1]

In 1804, Curaçao was conquered by Great Britain, and a cannonball is located in the outerwall of the church.^[2] The church of the Lutheran community, the other protestant denomination, burnt down during the conquest. It was decided that the Reformed and Lutherans would share the Fort Church.^[6] In 1824, the Lutheran Church and Dutch Reformed Church merged into the United Protestant Community of Curaçao.^[7]

The octagonal church tower was replaced by a round tower in 1903.^[2] The church was restored in 1991.^[8] In 1995, it was awarded monument status.^[1] In 1997, the historical centre of Willemstad including the Fort Church was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.^[9]

The Fort Church is the most important church of the community, and offers services in Dutch every Sunday morning.^[3] The mahogany pulpit and governor's bench date from 1769 and were designed by Pieter de Mey.^[2][1]

A museum is located in the basement of the Fort Church, and contains an overview of the Protestant history of Curaçao.^[4] The museum contains the original clockwork of 1766 which was built by Dirk van der Meer, and is considered a masterpiece.^[10]

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  Fort Church (1940-1945)
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  West gallery (1954)
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  Pulpit (1954)
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  Fort Church (1980-1983)