A Historical Place That Holds Importance Aside Museums to Visit Alongside the Jakarta Old Town
To learn about the history of Jakarta, you can visit museums, old buildings, or a square in the Jakarta Old Town area. Fatahillah Square and Jakarta History Museum for example. However, there is also one place that holds a big importance in Jakarta History, which is the iconic big canal or called Kali Besar.
A Brief History of Kali Besar, Once A Canal That Holds a Big Importance for the Old Batavia in the Past
The Kali Besar, or in Dutch was called de Groote Rivier, was once a stream of Ciliwung River that had been straightened around the year of 1631-1632. In the early days Batavia in the 17th Century, ships usually sailed along a canal to Kali Besar. But with the change of the land and structures and ships are getting bigger, only smaller ships can anchor alongside the canal. It became a place to drop goods from smaller ships that carry them from bigger ships in Sunda Kelapa Harbor.
Trace the Change from the Past to the Future of Jakarta from Kali Besar as A Part of Jakarta Old Town
In the Dutch colonial era, the Kali Besar was the center of commerce in the Old Batavia, and it became an elite area and there are many European big buildings that was build around it. However, the situation changed drastically due to an epidemic in the 1900s. The Kali Besar is no longer the center of economy as many people move to other prospective areas. Now in the present, the Kali Besar and the buildings around it have become a tourist attraction. Some of them are the Diamond City Bridge, Mercure Hotel, and The Red Store that now also functions as a restaurant.
See The Iconic Place with Your Own Eye as a Part of Your Walking Tour in Jakarta Old Town Area
To know more about the iconic Kali Besar, come to Jakarta, and join us on our Jakarta Old Batavia Tour with Jakarta Walking Tour. We will take you to explore Jakarta history, culture, and delicacies as we stroll around the iconic places of Jakarta. See you around!