What was Jakarta like before Jakarta?
Before Jakarta, there was Batavia – a Dutch colony that held immeasurable wealth and captured the imagination and ambition of European colonials from the Netherlands.
For over 300 years, the Dutch attempted to develop this Southeast Asian colony into an “Amsterdam of the East”. They built huge warehouses, mansions, a city hall and even Dutch-style canals similar to that in Amsterdam. Today, several of those structures are still intact, providing a glimpse into a glorious era.
“Building Batavia” is the story of how Batavia developed as well as the marks that its colonial period has left on modern-day Jakarta. A number of historic sites will be explored.
SUNDA KELAPA
Sunda Kelapa is a port that is home to one of the last sail-powered trading fleets in the world, descendants of the ships that once exported billions of dollars’ worth of nutmeg from Batavia to Europe.
TOKO MERAH
Toko Merah is a reddish house built during Batavia’s early colonial period in a style completely unsuited to the tropical climate. The episode will tell you why.
OASIS RESTAURANT
Oasis Restaurant still serves a Dutch-style feast, known as Rijsttafel (rice table), comprising dozens of dishes with ingredients that come from every corner of Indonesia and beyond.
THE JAKARTA HISTORY MUSEUM
Once Batavia’s city hall, the building of the Jakarta History Museum has been painstakingly preserved and transformed into a museum. Visitors can even enter the colony’s dungeons!
Advances in drone technology have enabled the producers to include aerial shots in the documentary, providing a unique view of old structures nestled among modern buildings.
The award-winning director of “Building Batavia”, Justin Ong, has directed and produced documentaries for international broadcasters such as The National Geographic Channel, The Discovery Channel, NHK and History.
“Building Batavia” will be shown on Dec 24, 9pm, on History, StarHub TV Ch 401.
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