A tale of Jakarta's beginnings

A tale of Jakarta's beginnings

By Ida Indawati Khouw

When it was first built by the Dutch in the 17th century,
Batavia was a walled city, a fortress with four protruding
bastions named after precious stones. This is the 62nd article on
old and protected buildings in Jakarta.

JAKARTA (JP): Residents of Roa Malaka and Pinangsia
subdistricts living nearby the estuary of the Ciliwung river in
West Jakarta should be proud for they reside in the oldest part
of Batavia, the old name of Jakarta.

It was in these areas the story of Batavia city began some
three centuries ago with the setting up of het fort van Jacatra
(the Fort of Jacatra) by the Dutch trading company Vereenigde
Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC).

At that time, the name of the city was Jayakarta (the Dutch
called it Jacatra) under the leadership of prince Jayawikarta,
who permitted the VOC to conduct trading activities in his area.

Only after 1619 the Dutch named the city Batavia after
successfully attacking the local kingdom and destroyed
Jayawikarta's palace, town square center, market and mosque --
all located at the western part of Kali Besar (another name for
the Ciliwung river which flows through the city until now).

The location of the fort, which only consisted of warehouses
called Nassau and Mauritius, stood near the Chinese settlement on
the eastern part of Ciliwung's estuary.

In its development, the Jacatra fort was broadened three times
but still retaining the same shape -- a square with four
protruding bastions named after precious stones Parel (Pearl) at
the western part facing Kali Besar; Diamant (Diamond) at the
south; Saphier (Sapphire) at the north facing the buffels veld or
the buffalo field; and Robijn (Ruby) at the east facing the
Tijgergracht (Tiger Canal).

The unique names of the bastions earned the city the name Kota
Inten, or the Diamond City.

The broadened fort, which was then called Kasteel Batavia
(Batavia Castle), housed almost all of the VOC buildings like the
governor general's residence, workshops, treasury, garrison,
armory, prison, church and the meeting hall of the council of the
indies -- the governing body.

But the castle did not include people's settlements since VOC
had prepared a site outside, near the southern part of the castle
for that purpose.

Writer Francois Valentijn recorded that the castle was 274
steps wide and 290 steps in length. "An inscription on the top of
the entrance gate reads Anno MDCXXXI which indicates the castle
was constructed in 1631," he said.

But Abdurrahman Surjomihardjo said in his book Sejarah
Perkembangan Kota Jakarta (The History of Jakarta Development)
that the construction process took place between 1619 and 1627.

The castle and the settlement were separated by a canal called
Kasteelgracht and connected by a so-called landpoort or a bridge.

At that time, the Dutch had also made a field just across from
the castle and named it Kasteelplein (castle field), where
warehouses and a gallows were located.

The fortress became so tiny and crowded with buildings, making
the wretched clerks who toiled all day long in buildings inside
the castle and were locked up in the attics at night feel
stifled.

That was why, according to historian Leonard Blusse, VOC
continuously widened the fortress' wall until it formed a big
rectangle 2,250 meters in length and 1,500 meters wide.

After the completion of the wall in 1650, Batavia transformed
into a beautiful city with clean canals and houses and enjoyed
the nickname Koningin van het Oosten, or the Princess of the East
(see the Save Old Batavia article in The Jakarta Post's Oct. 21
edition). The old castle itself was not destroyed.

Valentijn said the first street to be built was Prinsestraat,
a straight street connecting the old castle with the Stadhuis
(the City Hall, now Museum of Jakarta History). Those wanting to
imagine how straight the Prinsestraat was can just pass Jl.
Cengkeh in Kota area.

Valentijn further described the streets inside the city as
straight and of good quality made out of red and blue stones
which were "arranged orderly and smoothly with a width of 30
feet."

The wall was also strengthened by 22 bastions and named after
cities in the Netherlands like Utrecht, Zeeland, Groningen,
Overrijsel and Friesland. At the bastions, there were troops to
guard the city along with artillery.

Writer F. de Haan describes that there were 140 cannons on the
walls and each of them weighed not less than 12 pounds.

The number of the city's residents continuously grew.

In her mini thesis titled Kota Batavia Abad XVII - XVIII, Tata
Kota dan Perkembangannya (Batavia City in the XVII - XVIII
Centuries, the City Spatial Plan and Development), Aryandini
Novita said that when the city was still named Sunda Kelapa,
there were 50,000 people living in the city center and 10,000
more at the harbor. During the Jayakarta period, there were 3,000
families, while in 1619, it was reported that the male population
numbered 7,000.

VOC "imported" citizens either from Europe or its colonies in
Asia and other areas in the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia).

"They functioned as VOC officers, troops, prisoners of wars
and also slaves," Aryandini said.

Old drawings show the life in the walled city at that time,
such as one featuring a woman wearing a European-style long dress
walking along the city's streets accompanied by her slave
carrying her umbrella.

Valentijn said that at that time, the size of the umbrella
would show the owner's status. The bigger umbrella being carried
by a slave showed that the owner came from high society. Those of
lower status carried smaller umbrellas on their own.

At that time, people relied on lanterns at night for lighting
while those wanting to travel at night should carry torch.

Residents were not free to go outside the wall since the gate
was closed between 6:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Those wanting to get in
after that time would have to crawl through the waterworks which
were being constructed below the city wall near Nieuport, located
nearby the present Kota railway station in West Jakarta.

However, the remains of the wall are now difficult to find.
The only evidence of the wall is a piece of its western section
which is now turned into a brick fence of the Maritime Museum in
the Pasar Ikan area and another one, the former eastern part of
the wall, at Palad warehouse on Jl. Tongkol area.

The remains of the wall disappeared because the walled city
was destroyed in 1809 after it became totally unhealthy to live
in.