Oranjestad-West in Santa Cruz, Aruba, Dutch Caribbean — Caribbean Region (Lesser Antilles)
Statue Princess Wilhelmina
Photographed by Sandra Hughes Tidwell, January 23, 2025
1. Statue Princess Wilhelmina Marker
After the Royal Court granted approval for the statue based on a clay model, the Wilhelmina Monument Committee was founded in 1948 to select a location for the statue. The path to completing the monument was not always a smooth one, and it took the Wilhelmina Monument Committee a total of seven years to select the perfect location for this beautiful statue. The square had a capacity for a thousand people to unite and hold special events and ceremonies.
At 2:00 a.m. on September 16, 1955, the freight carrier Etna anchored in the Oranjestad harbor, carrying 44 crates marked "Fragile Made in Italy" The Lago Oil Refinery hoisted the statue into position. The text on the front of the statue reads:
Wilhelmina Nos Reina Sttima 1898-1948 (Our Beloved Queen Wilhelmina).
The statue of Princess Wilhelmina carries
this page online
Construction period: October 1955
Registered in the Monument Register: September 28, 2010
Monumentenbureau, Olga van der Klooster & Michel Bakker
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Government & Politics • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1898.
Location. 12° 30.951′ N, 70° 2.127′ W. Marker is in Santa Cruz, Aruba. It is in Oranjestad-West. It is on L.G. Smith Boulevard. The marker is located in Princess Wilhelmina Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Angochi, Santa Cruz, Aruba, Dutch Caribbean. Touch for directions.
Regionally, it is one of the Lesser Antilles on the Caribbean Sea, in in the Atlantic Ocean, and in North America.
Other nearby markers. At least 5 other markers are within 6 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Willems III Tower (about 210 meters away, measured in a direct line); 1822 Protestant Congregation Foundation (approx. 0.4 kilometers away); J.E. "Juancho" Irausquin (approx. 6.6 kilometers away); G.F. "Betico" Croes (approx. 6.6 kilometers away); J.H.A. "Shon Henny" Eman (approx. 6.6 kilometers away).
Also see . . .
1. Queen Wilhelmina (1880-1962). When King Willem III died in 1890, his only surviving child was too young to reign. His widow, Queen Emma, acted as regent for her daughter Wilhelmina until 1898 (Submitted on February 4, 2025, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA.)
2. Wilhelmina of the Netherlands
Photographed by Sandra Hughes Tidwell, January 23, 2025
2. Princess Wilhelmina Statue
3. Anne Frank. Anne Frank (born June 12, 1929, Frankfurt am Main, Germanydied February/March 1945, Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, near Hannover) was a Jewish girl whose diary of her familys two years in hiding during the German occupation of the Netherlands became a classic of war literature. (Submitted on February 4, 2025, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA.)
Photographed by Sandra Hughes Tidwell, January 23, 2025
3. Anne Frank in Wilhelmina Park
Each of the four sides of the base contains a quote from her diary in a different language - Papiamento, English, Dutch, and Spanish. The English side is inscribed:
"How wonderful is it that nobody need to wait a single moment to improve the world!"
Anne Frank
"How wonderful is it that nobody need to wait a single moment to improve the world!"
Anne Frank
Credits. This page was last revised on February 4, 2025. It was originally submitted on February 4, 2025, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. This page has been viewed 241 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on February 4, 2025, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
