Reminiscing Makassar's Old Town

At the end of the 17th century, a fort stood at Sulawesi and was said to be the most majestic construction in which the Dutch colonials settled. 

This fort is surrounded with trench to separate people in the inside from people outside and prevent assault by locals from the north, east, and south.Fort Rotterdam was seized by the Dutch and originally known as the Ujung Pandang Fort. 

The Bungaya Agreement, which was signed after the defeat of the Kingdom of Gowa in 1667, forced the king to surrender this fort to the Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC).Presently, historical relics can still be found around the ancient sites in this area. "The fort is an identity. 

The Dutch really designed this place because it was planned to be the second Dutch East Indies," said Aismunandar, archeologist from University of Hasanuddin, in a discussion about old town in Makassar as Kafe Baca, last Saturday.

Like Jakarta, which determined its old town through the gubernatorial decree in 1972, Makassar also has a potential to determine its old town. According to Arismunandar, there are three old towns in Makassar, which are located in Wajo, Ujungpandang, and Mariso districts.

There used to be the Vlaardingen settlement in Fort Rotterdam. In around the 17th century, this area had a medieval pattern with houses having tall fences and without front yard. 

In the beginning of the 18th century, situation started to become stable. The Dutch government began to build outside the fort such as Immanuel Church (1885) and Cathedral Church (1892).

Between the Rotterdam and Societeit de Harmoni buildings, the Dutch government built a park called the Prins Hendrik Plein, which is now a building for Radio Republik Indonesia, and Juliana Park.

Meanwhile, the Raad van Justitia building, which was estimated to be built in 1915, is now serves as the Makassar Court building. 

In front of it stood the koningsplein, which is now called the Karebosi Field. Several other buildings in the area include the Burgemeester Building (1933), which currently serves as the mayor's office; gouverneur woning, currently the office for South Sulawesi governor; and the Stella Maris Hospital (1938).

The existence of these buildings evokes a sad memory of this nation. Soekarno once ordered to destroy all buildings belonging to the Dutch colonial government. "Colonialism is cruel, but let’s forgive each other in the sense of learning from that. These legacies could enrich the knowledge of the nation's children," said Moch. Cora, an architect.

Source : Tempo