'Molenvliet' marked Batavia's golden age

Sari P. Setiogi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Molenvliet area -- now the area along Jl. Gajah Mada and Jl. Hayam Wuruk, West Jakarta -- was once the most prestigious area in Southeast Asia.

The name Molenvliet, according to historian Alwi Shahab, was still used until the early 1960s.

It was a canal with a road on either side built in 1648 by the captain of the Chinese community, Phoa Bing Ham, to facilitate the distribution of goods from the southern area to the Batavia market at that time.

Molenvliet was actually located outside the walled city of Batavia. Later, when the living standards inside the wall declined, due to the poor quality of water and low standard of sanitation, many wealthy people opted to start living outside the wall.

Many large, opulent Dutch houses were later built along the Molenvliet area from the early decades of the 18th century. Most had palatial grounds and elaborate gardens. The area earned Jakarta the name the Queen of the East.

One of the buildings which is still present today is the National Archives building (Gedung Arsip Nasional), on Jl. Gajah Mada. The 27,000-square meter mansion was built as the residence of the governor-general of the Netherlands Indies, Reiniers Klerk van Middelburg, who governed from 1777 to 1780.

What remains now is only a 9,000-square meter building, but people can still enjoy the sense of history when they first step into the compound.

Right after entering the gate, people are welcomed by a green, grassy, well maintained yard and a small pond.

Stony pathways lead to the front entrance, or directly to the backyard. An additional building is found at the left of the main building, now used as a souvenir shop.

The main building now displays old, wooden furniture, including those huge, tall bookcases that once functioned to store archives.

Small pictorial ceramic tiles telling Biblical stories in purple ink decorate several rooms in the main building.

At the back of the compound, there is a U-shaped building, which formerly functioned as housing for slaves. It was common practice at that time, for Dutch officers and other rich families to possess slaves.

A stone monument belonging to a Chinese hospital is found on the right side of the backyard. The hospital was more or less located on today's Jl. Pejagalan, West Jakarta, before it was demolished by the Dutch city council (gedemente) at that time due to outstanding debts.

However, the archives building is well maintained, having been recently totally restored, earning it the Asia-Pacific Heritage Award for Culture Heritage Conservation from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2001.

The National Archives building is open for visitors from Tuesday to Sunday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Several parties, exhibitions and other gatherings have been held in the rear grounds.

On the way to the National Archives building, people will pass a narrow street, Jl. Kesejahteraan. Alwi said that formerly it was called Gang Madat (Opium lane), as the opium trade was centered there.

"Many people who wanted to enjoy a whiff of opium at that time would go there -- also those who wanted to find a prostitute," said Alwi on Sunday during a tour to the area.

Today, Jl. Gajah Mada and Jl. Hayam Wuruk are busy nightlife centers. Many pubs, casinos, massage centers, brothels and billiard arcades are found in the area, together with low and moderate-budgeted hotels and food stalls.

Sunday's tour, called Wisata Kampung Tua (tour of the old villages) is a monthly event organized by the Historical Museum of Jakarta.

The next stop was the Candra Naya building located at Jl. Gajah Mada 188. At a glance, the location does not appear to be a cultural heritage site. It is surrounded by tall iron fencing usually used in construction projects.

The only way for people to view the building, which once was one of the grandest Chinese residences in Batavia, is by climbing a pedestrian bridge that just happens to be in front of the location, since no one is allowed to enter the area.

The other historical site in the Molenvliet area is the Kebon Jeruk mosque on Jl. Hayam Wuruk, across Jl. Gajah Mada. There is a board in front of the white walled mosque with green lines, saying that the building is protected as a cultural heritage site.

The mosque was built in 1772 by a Chinese-Muslim. Alwi said that in 1740 there was a Chinese rebellion against the Vereneeging Oost Indische (VOC) administration which caused the deaths of about 10,000 ethnic Chinese.

"It might have been the largest rebellion with the biggest number of victims that ever occurred in Batavia, even larger than the May riots in 1998," he said, referring to riots, in which many Chinese women were raped, shops were looted and razed, and over 1,000 people died.

"After the rebellion, many Chinese became Muslims. One was the businessman that built this mosque," said Alwi.

The grave of the businessman's wife, Fatimah Hwu, could be found inside the mosque. Another grave found nearby, belongs to a former royal assistant (patih) from Bandung, Raden Kertajoeda, who died after returning from the haj pilgrimage in 1830.

The mosque now functions as the base of an international Muslim organization (Jamaah Tabligh) which has members worldwide. Every Friday, they hold discussions and food will be served to the public for free.

There are actually other cultural heritages sites in the Molenvliet area, like the building formerly occupied by the Chinese Embassy which was demolished by Indonesian youth and students after the failed coup d'etat by the Chinese Communist Party on Sept. 30, 1965. Right now, the building is completely flattened. The location is closed and is under the auspices of the city administration.

Another building is the one occupied by SMUN 2 state high school. It was formerly a gambling center owned by a Chinese businessman. The center was divided into two different wings, the northern wing and the southern wing.

The northern wing was a gambling center for ethnic Chinese, while the southern one was exclusively for white-skinned people.

Unfortunately, the building has been reconstructed and no longer has any historical value.

A sad-but-true fact is that many of the heritages buildings in Jakarta are now neglected or even demolished, leaving not even a trace of the city once titled the Queen of the East.