Kota Tua Jakarta

The Surviving Core Of Batavia, The Dutch East India Company'S Asian Capital Founded In 1619; Now A Pedestrianised Square Of Colonial Buildings In A City That Is Sinking · Jakarta, Jakarta

This is what is left of BATAVIA, the city the Dutch East India Company built in 1619 as the capital of its Asian empire, and from which it ran the spice trade, the Banda massacre and three centuries of colonial rule. FATAHILLAH SQUARE is the centre: the old CITY HALL on one side, now the Jakarta History Museum, WITH THE WATER DUNGEONS BENEATH IT where prisoners were held standing in seawater, and Cafe Batavia and the Wayang Museum around it. Nearby are TOKO MERAH, the red house of a governor-general, the art deco KOTA STATION, GLODOK's Chinatown, and SUNDA KELAPA, the old harbour where WOODEN PINISI SCHOONERS STILL LOAD CARGO BY HAND. THE WHOLE DISTRICT IS SINKING. Jakarta subsides in places by more than twenty centimetres a year, which is the actual reason Indonesia is building a new capital in Borneo - and it is visible here in sunken doorways and warped ground, and in a rainy season that puts parts of the district under water almost every year.

Kota Tua, West Jakarta, Special Capital Region of Jakarta, Jakarta, Jakarta, Indonesia

FATAHILLAH SQUARE IS OPEN PUBLIC SPACE, pedestrianised since the 2022 revitalisation and busy from morning until late evening. THE MUSEUMS AROUND IT - the JAKARTA HISTORY MUSEUM in the old city hall, the WAYANG MUSEUM, the FINE ART AND CERAMICS MUSEUM - keep daytime hours, CLOSE ON MONDAYS as most Indonesian museums do, and charge small separate fees. SUNDA KELAPA HARBOUR is a working port, open through the day, with a small entry fee and boatmen offering rides. GLODOK, the Chinatown, is busiest in the morning. WEEKENDS BRING VERY LARGE DOMESTIC CROWDS to the square, with street performers and rented bicycles. FLOODING IS A REAL RISK in the rainy season; the district sits below sea level in places and Jakarta's traffic makes any timetable optimistic.

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