Hi everybody. How are you? I hope you are well and stay healthy. Some time ago, I visited a tower in Jakarta. This tower is called the Syahbanar Tower, North Jakarta, Indonesia. This tower was founded in 1839 which serves as a review tower for ships in Sunda Kelapa Harbor. In addition to functioning as a monitoring tower, this tower also functions as a tax collection point for goods unloaded at Kelapa Harbor during the Dutch occupation.
This tower is considered the zero point of the City of Batavia (Jakarta's name for the Dutch government). In the past, if you haven't found this tower, it's not considered to have ever set foot in Batavia. This tower has a height of 40 meters 10x6 meters. To reach the top, you have to climb stairs. This tower has three floors. There is no elevator in this tower. So you have to climb those stairs.
The tower is very close to the Maritime Museum. If you visit the Maritime Museum, your view will be on this tower. This tower has a history for the journey of Indonesia, especially Jakarta. This tower is a sign of ships that will dock at Sunda Kelapa Harbor. There are dungeons for crews who break the rules. At the top of the tower, there is a surveillance room equipped with four windows.
I want to tell you, if this building is an occupation building made by the Dutch government. So, you will find European architecture here. If you observe this building, it is not straight. This building has a slope of about 4 degrees. Sometimes this building is called the leaning tower of Jakarta. This slope is due to many large vehicles passing through this area, which causes the ground level to subside.
This tower uses a lot of wood. So you have to be careful if you want to climb these stairs. if you are at the top, you will feel a beautiful view. Oh yes, this tower has 3 floors. On the first floor there is an inscription point that states that this place is zero kilometers from Jakara. This zero point was ratified by Governor Ali Sadikin in 1977. Inside this building there are several paintings and other valuable ship objects that have a history. In fact, there is a stone inscription from a Chinese merchant in the 17th century which indicates this place is the zero point of the city of Jakarta.
I've given you information if this tower uses a lot of wood. If you climb this tower, you have to be careful because the stairs of this tower are made of hundreds of years old. When you get to the third floor, you will be treated to a very beautiful view. Apart from this tower, there are two other buildings used for trading offices. Each building has a different height. In addition, there are seven cannons in this arena.
This tower has the form of the Empire Style architectural style which is characteristic of Europe. This style of building is often used for a number of buildings in Jakarta. Because it had to adapt to the conditions of Indonesia at that time, it resulted in a new architecture known as the Dutch East Indies style. Architecture The Empire Style is a neo-classical architectural style that often exists in France.
In a building in Indonesia, it produces a new style called the Dutch East Indies style. The Dutch East Indies style is defined by the conditions, climate, and availability of materials in Indonesia. This Dutch-Indies architectural style building has a symmetrical design, a symmetrical floor plan, one floor and one roof with a shield shape. Is the architectural style found in the Shahbandar Tower? Of course in this tower. Among them:
I will highlight the roof on the building in front of the tower. The roof of this building is called the Pelana Roof. This roof is very suitable for buildings in tropical countries. Because Indonesia has high rainfall. So, this building uses a tropical architectural style on the roof of the building
In this building there is an arch element called the "arch", this arch is very prominent in European buildings during the Greek building period. In fact, on the walls there is a plank list that gives the impression of lines and solidity. This confirms that this building is a European architectural style.
The numbers and windows on the building are unique. This window has a static rhythm and a drip that is in the short window. These conditions indicate that the style of the building is like a classical European building.
I really like the color of this building. The Syahbandar Tower was originally white. However, after being renovated, the ivory color was used. For the color of the windows and walls, use green and red. This shows that this building is the influence of Betawi culture. However, Jakarta's culture is very strong on Chinese influence. For building colors, in buildings with European architectural styles, never use bright and light colors.
Columns are the support between the roof of the building and the floor. This column has Greek architecture which gives the impression that this building is very sturdy. This is very interesting.
Here's my story about the places I visited. I hope you are interested in my visit. thank you, until the number of my next story.
Nurdiani Latifah
My name is Nurdiani Latifah. I currently live in Jakarta – Indonesia, after 25 years I live in Bandung. I am a media staff at an NGO in Indonesia. I have worked in this institution for almost 2 years on issues of women and peace. I had been a journalist in Bandung for 3 years.
If you like his content, don't forget to upvote and leave a comment to show some love. You can also reblog if you want to. Also, don't forget to follow him to be updated with his latest posts.