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.