Tag: Old Batavia

RODE WINKEL Café, Once Known as “Toko Merah”

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If you walk around Old Batavia or Old Town Jakarta, you will encounter a red two stories building that is quite catchy because of the wall color that is quite standout. With a vibrant red from the brick color, this building once called “Toko Merah”, or literally means a red store in English.

Before transformed into a café, this building is always closed, and people can only see the outer side of the building that is faces the street. This building that is built from 1730, is once a residence of former governor general during Dutch colonization, General Gustaaf Willem baron van Imhoff.

The owner and residence of the building has changed a few times throughout Batavia Jakarta’s history. In the 18th Century, it became a government office, function halls, and even a trading bureau. And in the 19th Century, it was inaugurated to be a cultural heritage.

However, this year, Toko Merah has been through some changes. The once closed building is open to the public now. Some parts of the building have been renovated to a mini café, called RODE WINKEL café. The café serves signature drinks, coffee, tea, snacks, desserts, also some regular meals with rice that is suitable for Indonesian flavors. Some of the drinks came with a piece of traditional snack or cake that is influenced by Dutch.

It is a nice place to relax after walking around Old Town Jakarta on a sunny day. You can cool yourself by drinking while enjoying the café vibes. Though one part has been transformed into a café, the other parts are still undergoing renovations. Inside the building outside the café door, there is a staircase on the left. It has become a new tourist attraction and people can take photos there.

Curious about the inside of this historical building? Or what kind of delicacies you can try at the café? You can only find out if you visit Batavia Jakarta firsthand. So, come to Jakarta, and join our Jakarta Walking Tour to look into the town’s history closer with us. See you around!

Take A Glance of Jakarta Old Town’s History from A Historical Water Fountain

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Fatahillah Museum is an iconic view of Old Batavia. There is a lot to see in the Jakarta Old Town complex that might catch your attention. One of them is a little fountain that quite stands out in the middle of the square, in front of the museum.

It is shaped like a small monument, designed with a little dome on the top of it. It was built as a replica of a water supply in the 1970s era, whereas water around the city is contaminated, and there is a scarcity for clean water, causing illnesses and deaths. So, the government-built pipes and provided supplies for the Old Batavia area from other areas.

The fountain is a product of a reconstruction from the authentic water fountain that is built in colonial era of VOC. The references are from Johannes Rach’s painting, a famous painter from VOC. So, it is not functioning as a “real” water supply for the city, but only a monument to commemorate the history of Old Batavia.

Although it does not have a functioning water supply, it has become a spot of tourist attractions inside the Old Batavia complex. Many people from inside or outside the city keep visiting the the complex to spend their weekends with their families.

The placement of the fountain adds a nice touch for a view if you look at Fatahillah Museum from a distance. Aside from the fountain, there are also a lot of different spots that will attract tourists to take a picture of. So, it is a nice place to hunt and take artistic photos. A few people are also taking their pre-wedding pictures inside or around the complex.

If you are curious about the real appearance and history of this water fountain, come visit Jakarta and take a walk around the Old Town complex. You can also look and get an in-depth insight into Jakarta’s history and culture by joining a Jakarta Old Tour with Jakarta Walking Tour. So, what are you waiting for? See you in Jakarta!

A Cannon with Unusual Shape and Stories, Meriam Si Jagur

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Jakarta Old Town is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Jakarta. There are many things that you can see and explore there. Beside museums, there are also monuments and historical heritage, one of them is Meriam Si Jagur.

It is a big cannon that is placed across the Fatahillah Museum or Jakarta History Museum in the Old Batavia complex. The rear side of the cannon has the shape of a palm, with thumb tucked out between the index and middle finger. For some people, the shape seems a bit vulgar, but for some others, it is said that it is a symbol of luck.

In the past, it was believed that sitting on the cannon will grant fertility, so, many people who want children will sit on the cannon. This phenomenon makes the government decide to build a fence around the cannon to prevent people sitting on it.

Another unique thing about this cannon is the name, Si Jagur, it is from where it is located back then, in St. Jago de Barra, a Portuguese Fort in Macau, where the cannon was created. The cannon was made by Manoel Tovarres Bocarro and placed in Macau, before finally moved to Old Batavia by Dutch colonial empire in 16th Century. 

There is also a legend that the cannon is incarnation of a governor that was ordered to find a powerful weapon by Pajajaran King. From other source, a book by Ludovic Marquis de Beauvoir, titled Voyage Autour do Monde, the cannon was brought to the position by a great tidal wave.

If you want to know more about Si Jagur and want to see firsthand the unique and historical cannon, join us on our Jakarta Old Town tour, and we will take you to see and explore in depth the history of Jakarta and Old Batavia. So, see you around!