Curaao has a large number of plantation houses. Their historic architecture is unique due to the use of European, specially Dutch, building styles which were adapted to local tropical construction methods and available building materials. With the arrival of the oil industry at the start of the last century, the socio-economic structure of Curaao changed drastically in just a few decades. Of the more than 150 original plantation houses only 78 remain. The rest have disappeared or fallen into ruin. Fortunately, a number of plantation houses have been preserved. Some have become magnificent residences while others have been given new functions, ranging from restaurants, boutique hotels, office spaces, and museums to art galleries. Plantation Houses of Curaao offers a comprehensive overview, in words and in images, of all the plantation houses that have been preserved as jewels from the past.