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Batavia (Jakarta)

Type Object Region Indonesia Time 1619–1949

A colonial port city rebuilt by the Dutch East India Company in 1619 on the ruins of the old Bantenese port of Jakarta on Java's north coast, later c…

Timeline

  1. 1611–1618Old port of Jakarta (Jacatra) · JavaThe VOC, the Sultan of Banten, and the English East India Company competed for control of spices and ports on Java's north coast; in 1618 the VOC besieged Jakarta, laying the groundwork for the subsequent rebuilding of Batavia.
  2. 1619–1620Batavia Castle (Kasteel Batavia) · JakartaJan Pieterszoon Coen ordered the old city burned down and built a fortress and canal grid; the Chinese were settled outside the city in the Glodok area, and the city quickly became the VOC headquarters for the East Indies archipelago and a distribution port for Asian goods.
  3. 1621–2026Jakarta metropolitan area · IndonesiaFrom the 17th to the 19th century Batavia developed into one of Southeast Asia's largest colonial ports; after Indonesian independence in 1945 it expanded as the capital Jakarta into a mega-city, with the old town preserving architectural heritage from the VOC era.

Sources