Medan's heritage falls by the wayside

Medan's heritage falls by the wayside

Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Medan

The third most populous city in the country, Medan is changing
fast, with much state-of-the-art construction planned.

But it seems that in putting its new, modern face forward, the
North Sumatra capital is turning its back on its preindependence
legacy of old buildings.

Although not as famous as Bandung or Semarang for its colonial
architecture, the city once boasted 600 buildings constructed
from 1860, at the start of North Sumatra's heyday as a center of
tobacco and rubber production, to 1960.

Now, according to the Sumatra Heritage Trust, the precious
legacy has dwindled to only 300.

Still, the ones that remain, including the head offices of the
Dutch and English plantation companies that once operated in the
area, make for a pleasant tour, despite the city's notorious
traffic jams and air pollution.

Travelers can start their tour at the Great Mosque, built in
1906. The mosque has undergone several renovations, but many of
its original materials are still intact, such as the tiles and
colorful stained-glass windows (although some of the latter have
holes in them from errant footballs of neighborhood kids).

Near the mosque on Jl. Brigjen Katamso stands the Maimoon
Palace, where Deli sultans once lived.

Today, about 20 families, descendants of the current sultan,
live in rooms at the back of the main part of the palace.
Visitors who climb upstairs to the porch of the palace will
likely run into some of family members chatting with each other.

"This is the throne of the Deli sultan, used when the extended
family gathers to hold annual ceremonies," a tour guide said,
showing a set of yellow pillows and a couch of gold thread.

"The sultan now lives in Sulawesi."

The palace, built in 1888, has some remarkable original
architecture and decorations, but it is in a deteriorating
condition. Graffiti also mars some of the structure.

Only 10 minutes away by motorbike or the motorized pedicabs of
the city are rows of historical buildings along Jl. Ahmad Yani.
The street, formerly known as Kesawan, was the place to live
during the colonial era, when Medan's population was less than
20,000 in the 1900s.

Today, with the advance of urban sprawl, it is packed with
souvenir shops, music equipment stores and sports shops.

Since February last year, the street has been closed at night
to make room for food stalls for the city's foodies. The nightly
food bazaar, Kesawan Square, can accommodate up to 2,000 diners.

The organizer of Kesawan Square, PT Star Indonesia, opted for
Jl. Ahmad Yani because the street's historical buildings provide
a nostalgic atmosphere for diners.

Unfortunately, due to the unpredictable weather, the organizer
has been forced to erect large tents, thus obstructing the view
of the buildings.

One of those escaping the visual obstruction is a mansion
built in 1900. It once belonged to Tjong A Fie, an elder in
Medan's Chinese community. The owner of about 20 plantations in
North Sumatra, he could be considered one of the country's first
ethnic Chinese magnates.

His descendants continue to live in the house, and visitors
can knock on the door and request a tour.

For those in need of a pick-me-up after all the sight-seeing,
Restaurant Tip Top, which offers original recipes of Chinese,
Indonesian and Dutch meals, is across the street.

"The most popular choices here are our steaks, nasi goreng
(fried rice) as well as our various choices of cakes, especially
the mocha cakes and the mocha ice cream," said the latest owner
of the restaurant, Freddy Kelana.

The restaurant and its bakery, having stood on Jl. Ahmad Yani
since 1934, still cook the old-fashioned way in keeping with the
tastes of longtime customers.

"We make our own mocha by frying coffee beans, we don't use
chemicals here. We bake the cakes with wood-fired brick ovens,"
Freddy said.

A stroll up the street toward Merdeka Square, formerly known
as Esplanades, leads to the building of PP London Sumatra, once
owned by British Plantation Company and known as the Juliana
Building.

A short walk straight in the direction of the City Hall, which
is being revamped, leads travelers to Dharma Deli Hotel, built in
1898. It was the city's leading Hotel De Boer in the 1930s,
according to the book Tour through historical Medan and its
surroundings, penned by Dirk A. Buiskool, a Dutch historian based
in Medan.

The hotel's employees are happy to take interested visitors on
a tour of the place.

Across from the hotel, travelers should not miss the Medan
Post Office, built from 1909 to 1911. The Dutch architect, Snuyf,
was the head of civil public works for the colony at the time.

It appears the best maintained of all the historical
buildings.

On Jl. Imam Bonjol, the former residence of the Sumatra
Eastcoast administrators is now a Standard Chartered Bank office.
It has been renovated, but retains its elegant design.

Most of the buildings are now in private hands, but many of
those who work at them, or even own them, perhaps know little
about their history.

Yes, change is inevitable. But the city would do well to look
back on its interesting past, and see what it has to offer today,
before it falls to the wrecker's ball.