Imagine bustling activity surrounding the Batavia Castle Barracks Remnants. This was once the administrative heart of the Dutch East India Company in Asia. The Batavia Castle Barracks Remnants whisper tales of a bygone era. It served as the residence for the Governor General. He was the highest VOC official in the Dutch East Indies. He chaired the Council of the Indies. This committee made crucial decisions for the Dutch East Indies.
Originally, the Batavia Castle Barracks Remnants were a small fortress. It grew into a castle after 1620. The VOC successfully occupied Jayakarta. In 1629, the fort was enlarged. It was strengthened to defend Batavia. It protected the city from the siege of the Mataram Sultanate’s troops.
Pieter Both played a key role. He was the first elected Governor-General. He tasked Captain Jacques l’Hermite with acquiring land in Jayakarta. The land was for setting up a VOC trading post. Prince Jayawikarta granted the request. It cost a significant sum of 1200 riyals. The land sat on the east bank of the Ciliwung River. It was near Chinatown. By 1612, the Dutch had constructed a lodge, house, and factory. They were collectively known as the Nassau Huis.
Batavia Castle was encircled by a moat. It provided all-around protection. However, in 1809, Governor General Herman Willem Daendels made a drastic decision. He ordered the demolition of Batavia Castle. He needed building materials for a new urban area in Weltevreden. This area now covers Gambir District in Central Jakarta. Stones from the castle went into constructing Daendels’ Palace in Weltevreden.
After the dismantling in 1809, a new passage was created. It linked Batavia’s central area with Sunda Kelapa Harbor. The street was named Kasteelweg, meaning Castle Street. In 1950, it was renamed Jalan Tongkol or Cob Street.
Before 1874, all four bastions of Batavia Castle remained. But they vanished completely from 1874 onwards.
Excavations in 1940 revealed parts of the Batavia Castle Barracks Remnants. The landpoort, the door facing the mainland, was discovered.
Today, the area where Batavia Castle once stood is vacant. The Provincial Government of DKI Jakarta owns it. The southern moat has transformed into a residential area. Shops and various businesses now occupy the space.
Currently, a flats construction is underway on the former castle grounds. Simultaneously, archaeological excavations are happening. These seek to uncover more evidence of Batavia Castle’s existence. The DKI Jakarta Provincial Government Cultural Heritage Conservation Center and the Association of Indonesian Archaeologists of Greater Jakarta collaborate on this.
Excavations have successfully unearthed the floor of the castle shaft. It is made of bricks. The floor lies 2 meters below the current ground level. The Batavia Castle Barracks Remnants may be gone but their legacy is still there.