The ‘Kotatua’ at a glance

In 1527, Fatahillah established the town of Jayakarta on a land that was previously known as Sunda Kelapa. The town was approximately 15 hectares wide and followed the designs of traditional Indonesian towns. In 1619, the VOC, under the leadership of Jan Pieterszoon Coen, staged and attack on the town and completely destroyed it.

In 1620, the Dutch huilt a new town on the ruins of Jayakarta and named it Batavia, which was derived from the name of the ancestral tribe of the Dutch, Batavieren. The new town was situated on the eastern banks of the Ciliwung River, in an area that is today known as the Fatahillah Square. The natives of Batavia were called the Batavianen (the people of Batavia) and were later pronounced as Betawi.

In 1635, the town of Batavia was expanded to include the western banks of Ciliwung River, on the exact spot where the town of Jayakarta once stood. The town was designed to take the form of a series of blocks that were separated by canals, and included a defense system that consisted of a fortified wall and a moat. The development of Batavia was completed in 1650. During the Japanese occupancy of 1942, the name Batavia was replaced with Jakarta.

Decree No. 34/ 2006 issued by the Governor of the Province of DKI Jakarta stipulates that the Old Town District covers an area of approximately 846 hectares and is situated under two mayoralties, North Jakarta and West Jakarta. The northern most part of the district is the Luar Batang and the Sunda Kelapa Harbor, while the southern most part lies on Jalan Gajahmada, at the exact spot where the Candranaya site is located. Both the eastern and western most sections of the district are marked by a river.

brosur Kotatua Jakarta