A tale of Jakarta's beginnings<\/p>\n
By Ida Indawati Khouw<\/p>\n
When it was first built by the Dutch in the 17th century,
\nBatavia was a walled city, a fortress with four protruding
\nbastions named after precious stones. This is the 62nd article on
\nold and protected buildings in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Residents of Roa Malaka and Pinangsia
\nsubdistricts living nearby the estuary of the Ciliwung river in
\nWest Jakarta should be proud for they reside in the oldest part
\nof Batavia, the old name of Jakarta.<\/p>\n
It was in these areas the story of Batavia city began some
\nthree centuries ago with the setting up of het fort van Jacatra
\n(the Fort of Jacatra) by the Dutch trading company Vereenigde
\nOost-Indische Compagnie (VOC).<\/p>\n
At that time, the name of the city was Jayakarta (the Dutch
\ncalled it Jacatra) under the leadership of prince Jayawikarta,
\nwho permitted the VOC to conduct trading activities in his area.<\/p>\n
Only after 1619 the Dutch named the city Batavia after
\nsuccessfully attacking the local kingdom and destroyed
\nJayawikarta's palace, town square center, market and mosque --
\nall located at the western part of Kali Besar (another name for
\nthe Ciliwung river which flows through the city until now).<\/p>\n
The location of the fort, which only consisted of warehouses
\ncalled Nassau and Mauritius, stood near the Chinese settlement on
\nthe eastern part of Ciliwung's estuary.<\/p>\n
In its development, the Jacatra fort was broadened three times
\nbut still retaining the same shape -- a square with four
\nprotruding bastions named after precious stones Parel (Pearl) at
\nthe western part facing Kali Besar; Diamant (Diamond) at the
\nsouth; Saphier (Sapphire) at the north facing the buffels veld or
\nthe buffalo field; and Robijn (Ruby) at the east facing the
\nTijgergracht (Tiger Canal).<\/p>\n
The unique names of the bastions earned the city the name Kota
\nInten, or the Diamond City.<\/p>\n
The broadened fort, which was then called Kasteel Batavia
\n(Batavia Castle), housed almost all of the VOC buildings like the
\ngovernor general's residence, workshops, treasury, garrison,
\narmory, prison, church and the meeting hall of the council of the
\nindies -- the governing body.<\/p>\n
But the castle did not include people's settlements since VOC
\nhad prepared a site outside, near the southern part of the castle
\nfor that purpose.<\/p>\n
Writer Francois Valentijn recorded that the castle was 274
\nsteps wide and 290 steps in length. "An inscription on the top of
\nthe entrance gate reads Anno MDCXXXI which indicates the castle
\nwas constructed in 1631," he said.<\/p>\n
But Abdurrahman Surjomihardjo said in his book Sejarah
\nPerkembangan Kota Jakarta (The History of Jakarta Development)
\nthat the construction process took place between 1619 and 1627.<\/p>\n
The castle and the settlement were separated by a canal called
\nKasteelgracht and connected by a so-called landpoort or a bridge.<\/p>\n
At that time, the Dutch had also made a field just across from
\nthe castle and named it Kasteelplein (castle field), where
\nwarehouses and a gallows were located.<\/p>\n
The fortress became so tiny and crowded with buildings, making
\nthe wretched clerks who toiled all day long in buildings inside
\nthe castle and were locked up in the attics at night feel
\nstifled.<\/p>\n
That was why, according to historian Leonard Blusse, VOC
\ncontinuously widened the fortress' wall until it formed a big
\nrectangle 2,250 meters in length and 1,500 meters wide.<\/p>\n
After the completion of the wall in 1650, Batavia transformed
\ninto a beautiful city with clean canals and houses and enjoyed
\nthe nickname Koningin van het Oosten, or the Princess of the East
\n(see the Save Old Batavia article in The Jakarta Post's Oct. 21
\nedition). The old castle itself was not destroyed.<\/p>\n
Valentijn said the first street to be built was Prinsestraat,
\na straight street connecting the old castle with the Stadhuis
\n(the City Hall, now Museum of Jakarta History). Those wanting to
\nimagine how straight the Prinsestraat was can just pass Jl.
\nCengkeh in Kota area.<\/p>\n
Valentijn further described the streets inside the city as
\nstraight and of good quality made out of red and blue stones
\nwhich were "arranged orderly and smoothly with a width of 30
\nfeet."<\/p>\n
The wall was also strengthened by 22 bastions and named after
\ncities in the Netherlands like Utrecht, Zeeland, Groningen,
\nOverrijsel and Friesland. At the bastions, there were troops to
\nguard the city along with artillery.<\/p>\n
Writer F. de Haan describes that there were 140 cannons on the
\nwalls and each of them weighed not less than 12 pounds.<\/p>\n
The number of the city's residents continuously grew.<\/p>\n
In her mini thesis titled Kota Batavia Abad XVII - XVIII, Tata
\nKota dan Perkembangannya (Batavia City in the XVII - XVIII
\nCenturies, the City Spatial Plan and Development), Aryandini
\nNovita said that when the city was still named Sunda Kelapa,
\nthere were 50,000 people living in the city center and 10,000
\nmore at the harbor. During the Jayakarta period, there were 3,000
\nfamilies, while in 1619, it was reported that the male population
\nnumbered 7,000.<\/p>\n
VOC "imported" citizens either from Europe or its colonies in
\nAsia and other areas in the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia).<\/p>\n
"They functioned as VOC officers, troops, prisoners of wars
\nand also slaves," Aryandini said.<\/p>\n
Old drawings show the life in the walled city at that time,
\nsuch as one featuring a woman wearing a European-style long dress
\nwalking along the city's streets accompanied by her slave
\ncarrying her umbrella.<\/p>\n
Valentijn said that at that time, the size of the umbrella
\nwould show the owner's status. The bigger umbrella being carried
\nby a slave showed that the owner came from high society. Those of
\nlower status carried smaller umbrellas on their own.<\/p>\n
At that time, people relied on lanterns at night for lighting
\nwhile those wanting to travel at night should carry torch.<\/p>\n
Residents were not free to go outside the wall since the gate
\nwas closed between 6:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Those wanting to get in
\nafter that time would have to crawl through the waterworks which
\nwere being constructed below the city wall near Nieuport, located
\nnearby the present Kota railway station in West Jakarta.<\/p>\n
However, the remains of the wall are now difficult to find.
\nThe only evidence of the wall is a piece of its western section
\nwhich is now turned into a brick fence of the Maritime Museum in
\nthe Pasar Ikan area and another one, the former eastern part of
\nthe wall, at Palad warehouse on Jl. Tongkol area.<\/p>\n
The remains of the wall disappeared because the walled city
\nwas destroyed in 1809 after it became totally unhealthy to live
\nin.<\/p>",
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