Dutch Cultural Heritage in Indonesia: Jakarta & Bandung Revisited

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By: Peter van Riel

Dutchman Emile Leushuis’ recent book ‘Guide Historic City Tours in Indonesia ‘isa must have for wanderers. Through practical composition and design, the book is an ideal tool to search for physical traces of the colonial era. The book presents walking trails in several Indonesian cities. We chose Jakarta and Bandung, the two largest cities with colonial buildings.

VOC warehouses Jakarta, By: Peter van Riel

An almost sad feeling comes over you at a first sight at the ruins along the Kali Besar in Jakarta, the former Molenvliet. Bats, mold, vermin and vagrants have taken possession of the premises, often 19th century buildings with details that suggest long gone beauty.

Ornaments and inscriptions leave little to guess about how the former Handels Maintz & Co looked in full glory, when the canals were still clean and tidy. Not far away are the remains of the Dutch-Indies Handelsch Bank. Again in a deplorable state of preservation. The properties of Ghijsels virtually collapsed in 2008 during, sometimes caused by construction works of a large nearby hotel.

Yet that decline, ironically, was already visible in the Dutch period. The late 19th century bourgeoisie became tired of  hot and hectic downtown Jakarta and built large houses in the new suburb called Weltevreden. The mansions along the Kali Besar were taken over by companies and the character of the neighborhood changed. A brief revival occurred in the twenties and thirties of the last century, but after independence the process went on. Companies considered the site not interesting, in terms of location and functionality. Lack of maintenance, vacancy and land speculation did the rest. But maybe the main reason for the decline is in the water, or rather the lack of a workable drainage that causes huge floods every year. Which investor would want to fight this battle?

Old Batavia

Fortunately, many buildings were saved on time; many dating from the VOC period, from the early colonial period and from the century after that, and they are in a remarkably good condition. There are real diamondgems among them, like the former country home of Reinier de Klerck dated 1760. Now it’s in use as national archive. Or the 1912 trading house of Geo Wehry at the Fatahillah Square. Previously this place would have been a church, there is even a story that claims Governor General Abraham van Riebeeck was buried here. Now it’s in use as the Wayang Puppet Museum. Main attraction is the former town hall of Batavia and the big square in front.

Tourists stroll along, many of them on white Dutch bikes, souvenir stalls; inside I’m talking with Mr. Khasirum, collection manager of the Jakarta Historical Museum. “The building really needs constant monitoring”, he says. “ You should bear in mind that it is built on swampy ground. In the early days they used a technique in which wooden poles at a depth of only two meters with a distance of one meter from each other were placed. There must be hundreds of them. On the ebony logs, a braid of mud and straw was put to keep the poles together and thus formed a solid foundation. Then came the bricks and other materials. Although the construction is flexible, there must be continuous monitoring of the condition of the walls. Each burst can indicate something serious. Therefore, we decided to close the area for traffic.”

We sitt in the coolness of a fan watching a 17th century map of Old Batavia. We see the shapes of the lower part from the old port to the Pintu Besar. Then Khasirum unfolds an incredible sounding project. Years ago I was already surprised by the megalomaniac city plans like Sunda Kelapa Waterfront City or the amazing study to attach dozens of islands off the coast of Jakarta with bridges. But that remained drawing board romance, however this is another story. “All the city walls are being restored! We start from the Kota area, the delta of the Ciliwung River all the way to the Pintu Besar”, explains Khasirum.

A huge area, a spectacular plan. Khasirum is convinced that this time it will not be sketches and models only, but reality. That is as beautiful as unbelievable, but I don’t dare to say to him.

Java Bank

More realistic is the approach of the architects that rebuilt the former Java Bank into the Bank Indonesia Museum, a few miles from Stasiun Kota. The Java Bank in 1828 took over the buildings of a former hospital. Until the end of the century, long and extensive renovations took place, even until 1937. But it was neglected after the war and the years of Pembangunan. Now it is back to show off amidst less beautiful examples of major urban development: an impressive white neoclassical building.

We are welcomed by a team of staff, Sri Wahyu Umingrum and Saptono Agus Santoso. “The building was in use since 1950 by the National Bank of Indonesia”, remarks Ms Umingrum. “But it always has kept the style and atmosphere of the old Java Bank. We consider it as the flagship of the other branches in Java, all designed by the same Dutch architects”, she continues. “Now we tell the story of the history of our money. That may sound boring, but it is also the history of the birth of a young nation.”

Java Bank Jakarta, By: Peter van Riel

And she’s right. The museum is anything but a dusty collection of old coins and banknotes. With modern audiovisual equipment it tells a story of the economic ups and downs of a country which in 1949 was left alone by the colonial power, but managed to grow into a mature nation in the 21st century. It is presented in an interactive digital way: from the first years of independence where inflation was battled just by cutting banknotes into pieces, to the money-guzzling projects of the first president, from the Krismon and the revolt that followed, to the step down of the Suharto regime and the beginning of Reformasi. The country is now better off, concludes the voiceover. According to Agus Santoso, education is the major mission of the museum: “But we are equally proud of the building that regained its former glory.”

The colorful stained glass from Delft, the wooden counters, the marble stairs, where you can see the footsteps of the clientele of a century or more ago, the magnificent   boardrooms, it’s all there in an excellent condition.

Queen Beatrix

It is unfortunate that this splendid piece of architecture is surrounded by so many unattractive buildings, although some of them are of historical importance but badly maintained or almost demolished. Perhaps there is also the problem of fragmentation. The most attractive locations are scattered around downtown Jakarta. Hard to reach, not in a walking distance from each other, difficult to find for the average tourist. For instance the most famous colonial remains are located far away near the busy and polluted Jalan Gajah Mada. It is the villa of former VOC governor Reinier de Klerck. Thanks to donations from Dutch companies, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands was able to hand over the keys at her first state visit to Indonesia in 1995. The National Archives (the official status of the villa, but not used as such) seems to be in good condition, but leaves an unsatisfied feeling. A museum should be more than a historical building with fake furniture in it. However, the story behind it makes it all worth wile visiting. Read the book of Leushuis, and you will agree.

Hallo Bandung, Hallo Bandung

What goes for Jakarta, does not apply to Bandung, the once renowned Paris of Java. Here there are plenty of buildings from the colonial era still in use by government and companies, almost a guarantee for their maintenance. And all of them are pleasantly concentrated. You can walk throughout the streets admiring beautiful offices and houses, almost competing with each other.

Gedung Merdeka Bandung, By: Peter van Riel

Especially the crossing of Jalan Asia Afrika, Jalan Homan and Jalan Braga is a paradise for lovers of art deco and neo-classicism. Very acceptable are former Toko de Vries, Pharmacy Kimia Farma and Gedung Merdeka. Jalan Braga itself, once the most modern European and shopping of the colony, has lost its attraction and has now become a shabby neighborhood street.

Perhaps Bandung is still the most European city in Indonesia. Thanks to the lush green and relatively quiet streets in the northern part it is even pleasant walking or biking here. The guide of Leushuis provides useful information because many houses along the streets are being kept out of sight by vendors, all kinds of temporary structures, and large advertising billboards. But behind that is a lot to enjoy. Especially in the districts like Dago there are numerous colonial sites, often in good condition. Partly due to the fact that they are in use as an office, institution or government building. Villa Isola, for example, now belongs to the University ITB. This by C.P. Wolff Schoemaker in 1932 designed mansion is a fine example of modern colonial architecture. It reflects the mood for experiment, as it is more often found in the East Indies before the WW II.

Villa Isola Bandung, By: Peter van Riel

An important role in preserving the colonial heritage is the Bandung Heritage Society. Since 1987 it attempts to find sponsors from government and industry and involve them in projects to preserve the monuments for future generations. Often with success, though it appears once obtained listed status by the Society as monument is no guarantee. Too many buildings have been illegally demolished and are no longer there.

Gedung Sate Bandung, By: Peter van Riel

Interior Gedung Sate Bandung, By: Peter van Riel

IJzermanpark

The latter will not happen to the majestic Gedung Sate, dating from 1925 built by J.Gerber this is a fine example of combined Asian and European styles. Although it was never really finished. It should have become the government seat of the Dutch East Indies, once planned to move from Batavia to Bandung. But this never happened, and the west wing was not completed until the seventies, in a strange style though. Since 1980 Gedung Sate (so called because of a needle on the roof with 6 rings each representing a million guilders, the costs) is in use as office of the governor of West Java. This again secures the future of a magnificent piece of architecture.

Something fortunately also went up for a number of colonial parks in Bandung. And that is remarkable: a park requires simply much space in a city where every square meter is expensive. The IJzerman Park and the Moluccan Park are pleasant places to relax after a good stroll. They bring back something of the atmosphere of tempo doeloe, with a strong Dutch character.

The original statue of J. W. IJzerman, founder of the renowned School of Technology Bandung (ITB now) however, had to make way for a revolutionary monument. But we forgive them this minor scratch on colonial history. As long as the cultural heritage, which is a common heritage of Indonesia and the Netherlands, is kept in good shape.

Emile Leushuis
Guide historic walking tours in Indonesia
Medan, Jakarta, Cirebon, Bandung, Semarang, Yogyakarta, Surakarta, Surabaya and Malang
Kit Publishers, Amsterdam 2011
Isbn 978 94 6022 1620

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