OLD TOWN

There is a place call "Kota Tua" (Old Town) in Jakarta. Jakarta Old Town, also known as Old Batavia, is a small area in Jakarta, Indonesia. This particular region has an area of ​​1.3 square kilometers across the North Jakarta and West Jakarta (Pinangsia, Taman Sari and Roa Malacca).

Dubbed the "Jewel of Asia" and "Queen of the East" in the 16th century by European voyagers, Old Batavia considered a center of trade for the continent of Asia due to its strategic location and abundant resources. Batavia resident called "Batavianen", later known as the tribe "Batavia", which consists of a creole ethnic descendants of various ethnic groups that inhabit the Batavia.


In 1635, the city expanded to the west bank of Ciliwung, in the ruins of the former Jayakarta. The city is designed with European Dutch style complete with a castle (Kasteel Batavia), city walls, and canals. The city is arranged in blocks separated by the canal. City of Batavia was completed in 1650. Batavia became the headquarters of the VOC in the East Indies. Canals were filled because of outbreaks of tropical in the walls of the city because of poor sanitation. The city began to spread to the south after the epidemic in 1835 and 1870 prompted many people out of the small town toward the Weltevreden (now the area around Merdeka Square). Batavia became the administrative center of the Dutch East Indies. In 1942, during the Japanese occupation, Batavia was renamed Jakarta and still serves as the capital of Indonesia until now