The Old City area in Jakarta is known as a tourist area and historical education space and cultural preservation which is continuously being developed by the Jakarta Government.
The Old City of Jakarta is an environment that has architectural, cultural and historical values in the center of Jakarta, Indonesia. The construction of the Old City as the seat of government in the colonial era in 1649 was known as Oud Batavia in Dutch (Old Batavia), or at that time called Benedenstad (Lower Dutch City), the situation of this region was very contrasted with Weltevreden, or called de Bovenstad (Upper City).
Kota Lama Jakarta (Jakarta Old Town) Indonesia has an area of 1.5 square kilometers, currently located in the North Jakarta area which borders West Jakarta, and is included in the Pinangsia, Taman Sari, Roa Malaka and Tambora areas, and also includes the Glodok region China Town is also part of this Old City.
The Jakarta Old Town region is part of the historical journey about Oud Batavia, this area in its heyday was a place of luxury settlements, business centers and the Dutch government that first stood in the Jakarta City area at that time.
The city is surrounded by walls like a castle, this area became very important when in the 17th century until the 19th century, because at that time this area was designated as the de facto legal capital by the Dutch East Indies Government.
The city is surrounded by a wall on the inside, but on the outside there are villages, villages, and rice fields around it, in the 16th century this area was nicknamed “The Jewel of Asia” by Europeans, because this area became the center of trading activities, this is due to its strategic location in supporting the business of the spice trade industry in Java.
The Origin City of Jakarta
In 1525, a fighter from Indonesian land named Fatahillah received an order from the Sultanate of Demak to attack Sunda Kelapa Hindu Pajajaran Port (Sunda Kelapa Port, currently managed by PELINDO / Indonesian State-Owned Company), then after the attack was successful, it was carried out change name to Jayakarta (now Jakarta).
The City of Jayakarta (now Jakarta) at that time only had an area of around 17 hectares and had the largest port on Java (Sunda Kelapa Harbor, currently managed by PELINDO / Indonesian State-Owned Companies).
But in 1620 the VOC (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie / Trade Company or the Dutch East Indies Company) attacked the city of Jayakarta (now called Jakarta) under the leadership of Jan Pieterszoon Coen.
Then in 1621 the VOC established building a new city order in the City of Jayakarta (now Jakarta) and Jayakarta was replaced by the name Batavia, which was taken from the meaning of the ancient Dutch word called Batavieren, which means the Ancestral Land of the Netherlands.
History and Development the City of Batavia.
The city of Batavia was completed in 1651, and it became the headquarters of the VOC (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie) in the East Indies and its condition was greatly prospered by the results of the spice trade.
The Dutch call the City Residents of Batavia as Batavianen, now known as Betawi, and Creolecitizens are a product of mixed descent from various ethnic Javanese, Chinese, European and Indonesian / Malay / Asian who are hereditary in City of Batavia.
The development of the City of Batavia began to occur rapidly in 1650, the area of the city began to develop until it reached the western most region of the Ciliwung River, the arrangement of the city was designed in such a way as the Dutch desires and ambitions, the city of Batavia was equipped with a strong fortress (Kasteel Batavia), city walls were expanded, squares in more development for public use, church construction in multiplying, canals and drainage systems were made more modern at that time, and trees in the system more organized than before.
The city of Batavia consisted of several blocks confined by canals, and at that time the native Javanese were not allowed to live within the walls of the city of Batavia, this was because the Dutch Government was worried that the inhabitants of Javanese would one day carry out a rebellion.
The condition of the City of Batavia significantly decreased at the end of the 18th century, this is because the canals began not functioning properly due to a surge in population which was also very significant, plus the humid and warm climatic conditions (characteristic of tropical climates) became one the development of Malaria.
At the end of the 18th century the condition of the city of Batavia was slowly being abandoned, the rich people of that era began to like traveling and settling in the countryside, they bought large tracts of land, doing business in the plantation and agricultural sectors and becoming landlords in the rural area, because of this, an area called Weltevreden began to emerge, and this was one of the things that led to the growth process of the urban area which expanded to the south of the Ciliwung River.
With all the changes and setbacks due to environmental conditions, but this City of Batavia retained its function as the administrative center of the Dutch East Indies government, but the VOC (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie) transferred its ownership and control to the Dutch King Louis 1 in 1810.
During the reign of Governor General Daendels in 1808, the administrative and military area of the city was moved to the southern tip region, precisely in Weltevreden (currently the Great Sawah area), and the planned new downtown positions were in Koningsplein (currently called Gambir) and Waterlooplein (currently named Lapangan Banteng).
But when at that time there was a surge in population, poor sanitation in the center of the old city of Batavia, which caused construction to shift to the southernmost tip of Batavia, many buildings in the old city area were torn down, and the debris was used to become construction materials for construction in the southernmost region of Batavia, such as the construction of new civil and government buildings, for example: for the construction of the Daendels Palace (now the Ministry of Finance Building), the Harmonie Community Building which was under construction for a party for Dutch socialites (currently in the Veterans Street area) and Majapahit).
The city of Batavia continued to develop further and further south, when an epidemic crisis occurred in the decade 1830 to 1860, then forced many people to conduct a large-scale exodus to move from the old city area to the Weltevreden region which is much wider, and natural conditions greener and healthier air. Gradually the Old City area became deserted from business activities, but it still left few business activities in the old Batavia region, there were several attempts to maintain its commercial interests as one of the main ports and warehouses, but it was still not as rich as before, because most of the ports were still dominated by the Surabaya Great Port which was the main port as the commercial center of the colony at that time.
At the end of the 18th Century, or more precisely in 1890 the Port of Tanjung Priok began to be built, and that’s when a change in business direction began to improve, driven by an increase in the rubber production business, the City of Batavia began to regain its commercial business momentum.
Various efforts to restore the glory of the Old City of Batavia at the center of the city government by revitalizing a quiet area of business activity into a major business district. Many former luxury homes and shops that have been occupied by the Chinese were renovated again to become offices and businesses, this happened in the period between 1910 and 1943.However, efforts to redevelop this business area had experienced obstacles, which were caused by the Depression of the global economy in 1930 and the Japanese invasion of Indonesia in 1942.
If you visit the Old City of Jakarta in the Kali Besar region at this time, you can still see the remnants of this classic luxury office, building and housing up close.
After the recognition of Indonesia’s independence in 1950, the business and banking district of Kota was moved to Thamrin and Kebayoran Baru in the south, thus allowing Kota to further deteriorate again after having regained some of its lost glory. The Banking district of Kota area completely disappeared in the 1980s.
In 1972, the Governor of Jakarta, Ali Sadikin, issued a decree that officially designated the Jakarta Kota Tua area as a heritage site. The governor’s decision was necessary in order to preserve the city’s architectural roots – or at least what was left of it. Despite the Governor’s Decree, Kota Tua remained neglected. Even though the population were pleased by the issuing of the decree, not enough was being done to protect and conserve the legacy from the Dutch colonial era. Many buildings in Kota Tua remain abandoned, and increasing pollution hastened up the dilapidation rate of the old buildings. Some old buildings in Kali Besar were destroyed for development despite the heritage status, such as Hotel Omni Batavia, which was built over an old warehouse.
The first concrete plan of Kota Tua revitalization was signed in December 2004 by Jakarta Old Town-Kotaku and the government of Jakarta. The commencement of the revitalization plan was started in 2005. Taman Fatahillah Square was revitalized in 2006.
In 2014 the city’s governor at that time Joko Widodo continued the restoration plan of Kota Tua. The project, named “Jakarta Old Town Reborn” (JOTR), is a cooperation between state-owned enterprises, the municipal government and the private sector. In March 2014, an event Fiesta Fatahillah was held in Taman Fatahillah Square. The government of Netherlands aided the restoration plan in July 2014. By August 2014, 16 buildings in Kota Tua have been restored, such as the Kota Post Office buildings (built in 1929), which has been converted into a contemporary art museum. Despite these promising developments, most of the city’s crumbling colonial architecture remain in ruins up to this day.
Street vendors remain the biggest problem in Kota Tua. Illegal street vendors and hawkers increase dramatically around Kota Tua area, especially during holidays, causing increase in garbage. As of May 2015, 415 street vendors are allowed to sell their items in Kota Tua area.
Nowadays, many remaining historical buildings and architecture are steadily deteriorating, but some of the old buildings have been restored to their former glory. However, there is still much hope in restoring the area, especially with aid from various non-profit organizations, private institutions, and the government all stepping up to the plate to rejuvenate Old Jakarta’s legacy. In 2007, several streets surrounding Fatahillah Square such as Pintu Besar street and Pos Kota street, were closed to vehicles as a first step towards the rejuvenation. Since 2014 the old town has a brighter future with the ambitious JOTR project to restore Old Batavia’s architecture and putting the site on the UNESCO heritage list.
As an important city and commerce hub in Asia since the 16th century, Oud Batavia is home to several important historical sites and buildings:
- Relic from the Old Batavia
- Café Batavia
- Fine Art and Ceramic Museum (Former Court of Justice)
- Gereja Sion (17th century church, the oldest surviving church in Jakarta, and probably in Indonesia)
- Jakarta History Museum (18th century City Hall of Oud Batavia)
- Glodok and Pinangsia Area (Jakarta Chinatown)
- Kali Besar (original river of Oud Batavia)
- Kota Intan Drawbridge (the only surviving Dutch drawbridge in Indonesia)
- Luar Batang Mosque
- Maritime Museum and Menara Syahbandar (former warehouses of Oud Batavia)
- Pasar Ikan (Fish Market)
- Port of Sunda Kelapa (the original port of Oud Batavia)
- Jin De Yuan Temple (Vihara Dharma Bhakti, the oldest Buddhist temple in Jakarta)
- Petak Sembilan Chinese Street Market
- Toko Merah (18th-century mansion of Governor General Baron Van Imhoff)
- Wayang Museum (20th-century former Museum of Oud Batavia marking the site of the tombstone of Coen)
- Hui Tek Bio Temple
- Early 20th-century revitalization
- Bank Indonesia Museum (former Javasche Bank, the main bank of the Dutch East Indies)
- Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China (Now owned by Bank Mandiri)
- Jakarta Kota Post Office (One of a few samples of Nieuwe Zakelijkheidarchitecture in Indonesia)
- Jakarta Kota Station (formerly known as BEOS station or Batavia Zuid Station)
- Bank Mandiri Museum (former Netherlands Trading Society (Dutch: Nederlandsche Handelsmaatschappij), one of a few samples of Nieuwe Zakelijkheid architecture in Indonesia)
Most street layout of Kota Tua has not changed since the foundation of Batavia in the 17th-century. Below is a list of street names in Kota Tua. The list of street is limited to the street that was at one time located within the walled city of Batavia, both before and after the 1628 and 1629 attack of Batavia by Sultan Agung.
To avoid confusion, the official writing of Roman numeral is converted into Arabic numeral.
Some streets bear the name gracht (“canal”), meaning that it was a canal, e.g. Amsterdamschegracht, Chineeschegracht, etc. When the canal was refilled (mostly around the beginning of the 20th century), the word gedempte (“drained”) was added so the name of the street becomes the Gedempte Amsterdamschegracht, Gedempte Chineeschegracht.
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