Pos Kabai – Rais.cw

The landhuis and former plantaadje Pos Kabai (Horse Well) lies in the former Ruiterkwartier. The landhuis, restored to full glory, now serves as the home of a clinic. Striking is the double drapery decoration around the façade, a building feature dating from the end of the 19th century that can also be seen at the landhuizen of Zuurzak and Bloemhof. Part of the rain tank is built under the house, and through alterations to the property the entrance is now situated at the back of the building.

Pos Kabai was part of the military area, the horsemen were stationed close by, and the name refers to a large well that already stood here at the discovery of Curaçao. Later a drinking trough for the riders' horses was built beside it. The house was also inhabited by members of the cavalry, such as in 1757 by Abraham Evertsz, who was a sergeant.

Plantaadje Pos kabai, Pos Cabai or Poo(t)s Kabaai was laid out around 1800. It appeared in documents for the first time from 1821 and was officially always described as "stuck gronds voorean in de Suyckerthuyn" (piece of land in front of the Suyckerthuyn), from which, for convenience, "de Suyckerthuyn" was sometimes made. With, of course, confusion with the adjoining plantation in the east that still bears the same name. Pos Kabai was 8 hectares in size, had a few enslaved people and some livestock was kept, but in the 17th and 18th centuries it was above all one of the most important suppliers of fresh water to Punda and to ships moored in the harbour.

Nooijen writes in La Unión of December 1978 that at Pos Kabai there were remains of water-pump installations and large iron pipes. These made it possible to lead the well water of Pos kabai and Rooi Catochi to the landing place for ferries, which transported the water to the city. In those days both Rooi Catochi and Pos Kabai were owned by the Maduro family (familia Maduro).

In 1830, however, the owner of Pos Kabai received permission to fill in the well because the water was no longer drinkable.

In the past, when the water of the Schottegat reached further inland, oysters were cultivated at Pos kabai, Asiento, De Hoop and at Koningsplein, which were small but very tasty. Although the cultivation was a success, the project was not continued. At Pos Kabai turtles were cultivated afterwards.

In 1968 the national theatre, Centro Pro Arte, was officially opened at Pos Kabai. The building, with 750 seats, cost 1,700,000 guilders, of which one and a half million was financed by Dutch funds and 10,000 by the then national government. The rest was raised by the population with contributions ranging between 2.50 and 50,000 guilders and a donation from the oil refinery. The remaining part of Pos Kabai has nowadays been parcelled out and changed into a modern villa district.