Dutch national traces Lido resort history

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The story behind the famous Lido Tourist Resort in West Java was finally revealed on Sunday as Mascha Braak, the granddaughter of Lido's founder, Antonius Hohanes Indoficus Maria Zwijsen, arrived in the area.

"Ms. Braak is visiting the tourist resort to trace the history of her grandfather," said spokesperson of Lido Lake and Resort, Asri Mulyono, on Monday.

The vast Lido Tourist Resort, which is situated in Watesjaya subdistrict between Bogor and Sukabumi regencies, was established by Zwijsen, the Dutch national, in 1938.

Lido Tourist Resort operator welcomed Braak's arrival on Sunday night with various traditional performances such as West Javanese martial art debus, pencak silat, jaipong dance and drum bands performed by Cijeruk junior high school students.

Braak's visit was timely as the Lido resort operator had been seeking more information on the history of the Lido tourist resort, said Asri. "We have been seeking information on Lido's history from the Dutch Embassy and history literature, but we found very little information," said Asri.

Braak's visit will be helpful in providing the Lido's operator more accurate information on the history behind the establishment of the resort, said Asri.

"Braak has a collection of pictures and articles from her grandfather on the story behind Lido," said Asri, quoted as saying by Antara news agency.

Meanwhile, Braak herself said that she came to know about the history of Lido after her grandmother Chatarina Anna Bremster died last year. "I found some documents with the romantic stories my grandfather wrote to my grandmother concerning Lido. Based on that information, I went to Lido to trace my family history," said Braak.

Braak's grandfather, Zwijsen, was born June 5, 1898 in the Netherlands. He established the tourist resort as the Lido area was calm, tranquil and cool. "My grandfather and grandmother met in the area in 1937 and they got married," said Braak.

According to Asri, the Lido tourist resort was well known among the Dutch and it was even once visited by Queen Wilhelmina.

The place was also popular among Indonesians. The first Indonesian president, Soekarno, once spent time there in the 1940s, and while there he wrote a famous book entitled "Sarinah."