Museo Jakarta Batavia History Museum, Batavia Town-Hall

The following is based on visits of the author; maybe the expositions in the Museum have been changed since then.     

We leave Café Batavia for a short walk to the Jakarta History Museum. Our “Tour 3” can be done during one afternoon.

This tour draws your attention to the most interesting displays of the Jakarta History Museum. The Museum is the former Dutch Batavia Town Hall. Moreover, we offer historical storytelling about some prisoners who, once, stayed in the “Batavia Town Hall Jail”.         

In 1619 the Dutch East-India Company (VOC), under the command of Jan Pieterszoon Coen, destroyed the coastal town of Jayakarta in the Sultanate of Banten in Java. The Dutch assault was unexpected and rather violent, but not very bloody. Coen did so with good reasons from his point of view. The Dutch East-India Company, VOC, wanted to build a commercial and administrative centre in the Far East and in Java specially. The reason were that troubles with Banten, Portuguese, English never came to an end. Governor-General Jan Pietersz. Coen was a thoroughgoing person. He built a new town and called it Batavia, now Jakarta. Inhabitants were called in Dutch “Batavianen”, “Batavians” in English and Orang Betawi in Indonesian.        

A certain Betawi atmosphere is certainly present in Museum Seraja Jakarta. This Museum along the former Dutch “Stadhuisplein” or “Town Hall Square” is worth a visit. The square is called now Taman Fatahillah. The Museum is a bell-towered building. It is an architectural reminder of the Dutch East-Indies, completed in the 18th century.

The written texts as well as the audio ones are composed by Dirk Teeuwen in The Netherlands. He owns most of the pictures. In case you want more information about the topics of this tour as well as an account of sources! Visit: www.indonesia-dutchcolonialheritage.nl.   

The Jakarta History Museum is closed on Mondays and holidays.