Oud Batavia, Java's First Dutch Colony

Central Colonial Government Building

Batavia and The Spice Islands

Oud Batavia or translated into English as Old Batavia, is the name given to the area which now known as Kota Tua Jakarta. It was the central administrative district under the Dutch Colonial Government of the East Indies for as long as 326 years. Started as a port city built on the ruin of formerly Jayakarta city which was under the Demak Sultanate. The Dutch East Indies Company or the VOC attacked and destroyed the city of Jayakarta in 1619 under the first Governoor Jan Pietherzoon Coen. He built a new town named Batavia one year later. It became the Dutch and European first settlement in Java.

Spices were the main reason for the coming of the European to the East Indies (former name for Indonesia archipelago). First came the Portuguese, then the Spanish, followed by the Dutch and British later. The earliest arrival of the Portuguese trading ship can be traced back in the 16th CE. Yet they were the first to travel the world to the west by the sea.

The competition were very ugly, they did not hesitate to use violence in order to dominate the spice Islands and the spice trading in the past. So the East Indies was divided into different European trading companies. The Spanish has set foot on the Philippines islands, the Portuguese were dominating the Moluccas Islands until they were shifted their central power to Malacca in the Malay Peninsula. Moluccas later on was a Dutch trading territory. And the British set power on the Malay Peninsula much later.

It was the Dutch whom earn a warm welcome by the local leaders as the hope for the alliance to get rid of the Portuguese. Hence, they established trading post in many locations in the East Indies. The dispute between the Dutch trading company (VOC) and the king of Banten in the early 17th CE resulted in the shifting of the Dutch trading post to the Jayakarta city on the north east of Banten territory. Coen secretly ordered his men to convert the trading post into a strong fortress. Against the Coen's decision, the leader of Jayakarta city attacked the fortress and Mr.Coen fled to Moluccas Islands.

Surprisingly, the small garrison in the fortress survived, and later on they named the fortress "Batavia"- an ancient name for the Dutch land. Few years later Coen came to Batavia and led 1000 men to attacked and destroyed the city of Jayakarta. On the ruin of Jayakarta city, he established the town of Batavia as the extent to the fortress. The first walled city in the East Indies. As VOC grew larger both in trading capacity and its political power in the archipelago, Batavia city played the role of central government.    

Old Building serve as Museum

Old Residence in Kota Tua Jakarta

Colorful Bikes for Tourists

Toko Merah or The Red Shop, formerly a residence of Dutch Governoor Gustaf Willem Baron Van Inhoff

Batavia Cafe on Fatahillah Square

Cafes nearby Fatahillah Square

Sunda Kelapa Port and Kota Tua Jakarta

Batavia territory was only 15 square hectares. What was the colonial capital of Dutch East Indies has now become the capital of newly born nation of the Republic of Indonesia. Therefore, the name changed to Jakarta. It is the largest city in Indonesia and the main economic power to current day. A modernized city dazzled with skyscrapers in every corner of the capital city.

What is left from the Oud Batavia is Kota Tua Jakarta, bear the status as national heritage. Here we can find many colonial building such as the Dutch East Indies administrative building, the Governoor's former residence and others. They mostly became museums and cafes. A humble place to hang out, yet at the same time we can learn the past. The building's architecture is a reminder to the existence of the European power in the past, though it is not pure in European architecture. It is more a mix between local and European with some other foreign architectural touch.

The square in front of the Government's Office served as ceremonials activities as well as the place to hang the criminals. It was then applied to many cities in Indonesia except for the hanging. It is now the place for both citizen and the tourists to hang out and chill, especially on the weekends.

There is, however, a much older venue that is now still being used as the initial function of its establishment. The Port of Sunda Kelapa, considered as one of the oldest port in Java, as well as the first modern port on the island. Sunda Kelapa was the name of both the port and the preceding town under the Padjajaran Kingdom in the 14th CE. Later on the town was attacked by infamous King Fatahillah of Demak Kingdom and changed the name into Jayakarta literally meaning City of Glory, until the attack of the VOC in 17th CE and changed the name into Batavia. The port remained functioning and grew into the largest port at the colonial era.

Coming to Sunda Kelapa Port is like going back in time where both local and foreign traders anchored their ships and did their activities. Though it is now only serve for local ships to anchor, Sunda Kelapa is still a one place to remind us the past. Big ships made of wood are aligned in great alignment. Some loading activities are seen as tourism object, we can even ride a small boat through the big canal heading to the Java Sea. On the right the big wooden boats and on the left  are local fisherman's boat in many colors. At the end of the canal, the boatman allowed us to climb up to one of the big wooden boat to explore and take great pictures, I am sure that photographers will not miss the moment.  

Colorful Ships

Wooden Ships in line

The Boatman

Loading Activity

The Fisherman's Boats

On Deck

The Myth of 350 Years of Dutch Colonial Era

Do you remember our teachers use to tell us about the Dutch colonial era that had been going for 350 years? Yes, even in many school official books said so. Now let me tell you one thing for sure, it is a myth, and the myth is being told over and over again. How I could come to this conclusion? the answer is to read books, especially books written not for school children.

If we trace back the history of colonial era, it is true that the first European traders came to the archipelago around early 16th CE, and if we calculate the year until the end of colonization in 1945 it will be around 345 years. But you must remember, it was the Portuguese whom set foot on Moluccas spice Islands first, not the Dutch. Yet their first intention was to trade or to search for the spices, which was valuable as gold. The Dutch came later on part of Sumatra Island whom had the same purpose. There was never a colonization in the 16th CE.

The story goes as the European traders tried to gain power in every place they stepped foot. All of them tried to do a monopoly trading with the locals. There was no Indonesia at the time. There were, however, kingdoms and sultanates in the archipelago, each had war one to another. The archipelago had many ports for International trading before the European came. Traders from China, India and Indochina had been doing their trading activities in these ports.

The colonization itself started in the 17th CE where the Portuguese managed to get rid of Malaka Sultanate on the Malay Peninsula, Dutch set power in Batavia and Moluccas islands and the Spanish colonized the Philipines Islands long before those two. Yet there were still many independence kingdoms and sultanates in the archipelago. These are Aceh, Jambi and Palembang in Sumatra; Makassar and Gowa in Sulawesi;  Banten, Mataram and Blambangan in Java; Ternate and Tidore  in Mollucas; Sambas and Banjar in Kalimantan or Borneo and many others. Bali and Aceh remained independence until the year 1910.

It was the need for both parties - the Colonial Dutch and Indonesian Nationalist - in the late 19th and early 20th Century. The Colonial Dutch first spread the propaganda of Dutch Rule in the archipelago for 350 years in order to maintain their colonial power as if the locals didn't have a chance to gain their freedom. One Governoor use to say, the Dutch had been in the archipelago for 350 years and will remain here for the next 350 years. On the other hand, the Indonesian Nationalist used the Myth to awaken the awareness of the people for the need of Independence. The myth could make all people across the archipelago had the same feeling of being colonized and being ruled by foreign people. This could encourage them to fight back and established an independence nation.

Well, for me, the myth was made for both good and bad cause. Depends on what purpose and whom saying it. The problem occurs when it became imaginary fact to the next generation without a proper explanation. As if we were really colonized by the Dutch for over than three centuries. It is now the good time to change the myth into the real history in whatever materials being spoken, especially to the school books written to the Indonesian students.

Si Jagur Canon