Museum Fatahillah, an Iconic Place That Become an Everlasting Witness of the Old Batavia and the Modern Jakarta
One of the most iconic places to visit for learning about the history of a place is a museum, as does with Jakarta. With the characteristically designed building that represents the era of Dutch colonialism, it has become a most popular landmark that has been the icon of the Jakarta Old Town Area.
An In-Depth History of a City Hall That Has Been Standing in the Heart of Old Batavia from Colonial Era through the Nation’s Independence
The building was first built by order of Batavia’s governor, Jan Pieterszoon Coen in the year 1626. After undergoing renovation for a few times, it was inaugurated by Governor General Abraham van Riebeeck in 1710 and functioned as the central government of Dutch East Indies (VOC). From there on, the building has been a city hall that served for as long two centuries. The building, while it is functioning as a city hall, contained a main prison and another prison under the main building. The main prison is used to imprison prisoners that can afford to pay for their cells. While the underground prison for prisoners from more unfortunate backgrounds. With too little to almost no air to breath, and minimum light, many people died due to cholera, typhus, and lack of oxygen.
The Transition of Function of a City Hall to Become a Most Iconic Museum in the Jakarta Old Town Area
This building has been through many changes and serve different functioned through different eras and years, until it finally inaugurated as a cultural heritage after the Indonesian independence in the year of 1974. Not long after, the building officially became a museum called “Museum Sejarah Jakarta (Jakarta History Museum)” or also known by the locals as “Museum Fatahillah”, using the name of the founder of Jayakarta.
Find More Things You Can See in Jakarta Old Town to Learn the History of Jakarta by Walking Tour
It is best to walk around the Jakarta Old Town complex since the parking area is limited and you can explore and find more things that can only be found by walking. Come to Jakarta to see for yourself and join us on Jakarta Old Batavia Tour to find out. If you want to know more about the museum, let’s meet at the next part. See you around!