Happy birthday Jakarta! 22 June is celebrated as Jakarta's birthday. Jakarta is 492 years old now. Can't believe the city where I grew up is that old. Speaking of old, the oldest side of Jakarta is Kota Tua, where arguably the center of Jakarta's modern history. Kota Tua or Kota Tua Jakarta (English: Jakarta Old Town) is one of Dutch heritage sites that located in downtown Jakarta. If you are interested with history and architectures, this place is one of your must-visit destination.
Kota Tua district was nicknamed the "Jewel of Asia" and the "Queen of the East" by 16th century sailors due to its strategic maritime location. Back in the old days, Kota Tua was considered the trade center for the Asian region which explains the many historic buildings, most that hail from the Dutch colonial era, still stand today as shadows of its glory days.
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| Fatahillah Museum |
Kota Tua is about 1.3 square kilometers, spreads along North Jakarta and West Jakarta. There are a number of museums at Kota Tua square. Marked by the most prominent of them all, the Fatahillah Museum (aka Museum Sejarah Jakarta, Jakarta History Museum). It is the former city hall of Batavia (Jakarta was named Batavia under the Dutch East Indies colonization from 1800 to 1950), the building's age dates back to 1620 and houses an underground prison where iron balls chained to prisoners' feet can still be seen.
In front of the building you can find a lot of retro ontel bicycles with colorful vintage hats and helmets which you can rent to ride around the old town or just for photo props.
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A boy with his ontel.
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Besides the Fatahillah Museum, there are other museums you can explore, such as Wayang (Puppet) Museum, Fine Art and Ceramic Museum, Old Post Office, Bank Indonesia Museum, etc. There are also lots of cafes and restaurants which could be just your place to unwind. The most famous one is Cafe Batavia that offers iconic colonial ambience and original-style Dutch East India cuisine.
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| Kantor Post Kota (Post Office) |
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| Museum Wayang (Puppet Museum) |
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| Kedai Seni Djakarté |
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| Cafe Batavia |
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| Museum of Fine Art and Ceramics |
Not far from the Fatahillah square, there is Stasiun Jakarta Kota, it is the first railway station was built in Jakarta and is still operating until today.
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Kota Tua Jakarta
It was a great trip around Kota Tua, I could get so much knowledge and know more about Jakarta.When you get to stroll around Kota Tua, you will feel yourself as transported back to the 16th century. It will lead you to many surprising turns and hidden treasures. Once more, Happy birthday Jakarta! As a capital city of Indonesia, I hope you're getting better and better each day. God bless you.
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