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Archaeological findings trace the history of modern-day Jakarta back to the fifth century. The ancient monument at Tanjung Priok Port (close to Cilincing Coastline) disclosed that by the 16th century, it became a thriving port city known as Sunda Kelapa Harbor. At that time, the Hindu kingdom of Pajajaran ruled the area from a place now known as Bogor, in the hills outside Jakarta.
By the time Columbus headed to the East in search of spices, Sunda Kelapa had already developed into a major trading port. Among the first foreigners to set foot here were the Portuguese. In 1522, they made a mutually beneficial agreement with the Pajajaran Kingdom; in return for access to valuable spices, the Portuguese defended the Hindus from the Islamic sultanate of Demak.
Nevertheless, in 22 June 1527, the Javanese Prince Fatahillah of the Demak Sultanate successfully defeated the Portuguese armed forces at the site of the Sunda Kelapa Harbor. The city was then renamed Jayakarta, meaning "a glorious victory." This eventful day came to be acknowledged as Jakarta's Anniversary, and Fatahillah Park was named after the heroic prince.
The Dutch Years
The end of the 16th century recorded another milestone: The Dutch landed at Sunda Kelapa port in 1596 and established the United East India Company (Vereinigde Oost Indies Compagnie or V.O.C.) in 1602 to join the lucrative spice trade.
Years passed, and the V.O.C. grew stronger. At the pinnacle of its strength in 1635, the Dutch transformed Jayakarta, or Batavia as they then called it, into a walled canal city covering some 700 hectares of land. A ride down the Ciliwung River Ride evokes a nostalgic aura of the canal that once divided the city in two parts: east and west. The Dutch-style Jembatan Pasar Ayam originally engineered to bridge both sides remains preserved today as a historical landmark.
During the 18th century, Batavia grew into an overpopulated city and the quality of life deteriorated. Of particular concern to the Dutch was the rapid growth of the Chinese community, which threatened to tip the balance of power. Attempts by the Dutch to suppress the number of Chinese resulted in a bloodbath in 1740. At least 5,000 Chinese were killed, 500 of whom were killed in Batavia City Hall, now the Jakarta History Museum. The Chinese were then confined to ghettos, the site of today's Glodok.
Later in the early 19th century, Governor-General Herman Willem Daendels developed a new residential area called Weltevreden, the center of which is now the Lapangan Merdeka.
The British Years
In 1811, the British arrived and took over the land previously controlled by the Dutch. Sir Thomas Stamford Rafflesfrom, who governed from 1811 to 1816, resided in Bogor Palace, where his first wife Olivia died. She was buried at Taman Prasasti. As a memorial, Rafflesfrom erected a special monument in Bogor Botanical Garden .
After only five years in Batavia, the British handed the land back to the Dutch, who ruled until the Japanese took over during World War II.
The New Beginning
In the early 1900s, young Indonesian scholars began to question the Dutch dominion. Historians refer to 1908 as the "Year of Awakening," where a group of medical students founded the first organization based on the people’s political aspirations, Budi Utomo. These students held meetings in a medical school, which has now become the STOVIA Museum of the History of National Awakening.
During the Japanese occupation, the fight for independence intensified. Paramilitary Indonesian youth groups held regular meetings in a house in Menteng, now converted into the Museum of the 1945 Struggle for Independence.
When the Japanese finally surrendered on 14 August 1945, Admiral Tadashi Maeda brought Soekarno and Mohammad Hatta—the founding fathers of modern Jakarta—to his house on Jalan Imam Bonjol. Here, they drafted the Declaration of Independence. On the morning of 17 August 1945, the manuscript was read aloud at Jalan Proklamasi, a spot marked by the Soekarno-Hatta Monument. The next day, Soekarno became the first president of the Republic of Indonesia and Mohammad Hatta the first vice-president.
A number of exorbitant projects developed under Soekarno’s presidency, including Hotel Indonesia, Senayan Sports Complex and Sarinah department store. Towards the end of his tenure an attempted coup occurred in which a number of army generals were murdered, allegedly by communists. In memory of the massacred generals, the Lubang Buaya Memorial Park and Museum was established.
After Soekarno’s office ended in 1966, General Haji Mohammad Soeharto reigned and brought economic and political stability to the country following years of chaos. Under his leadership, Indonesia became self-sufficient in rice. His power came to an unfortunate end, however, as a result of a prolonged financial and economic crisis triggered by the Asian economic meltdown in 1997. In a subsequent wave of public protests and riots, he was left with little choice but to terminate his 32 years in power. On 21 May 1998, he handed over the presidency to his vice-president, Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie.
Jakarta Today
Despite its violent past, there are still hopes for a brighter future. For the first time in history, a democratically elected government led by President Abdurrahman Wahid now rules the republic. In a more open society, Indonesians hope that the country will once again return to the path toward prosperity.
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