My Odyssey on History Channel: HIDDEN CITIES - INDONESIA

Start:	Nov 11, '10 6:00p
End:	Nov 29, '10 07:00a
Location:	History Channel Asia

Hidden Cities: Indonesia



Watch my adventure with Anthony Morse on History Channel: Hidden Cities. Cruising the Japanese bunker and interview with an elderly woman who worked to establish the military shelter in Ngretjo-Goenoengwesi, South Coast of Jogjakarta.

The History Channel, is an international satellite and cable TV channel that broadcasts programs regarding historical events and persons. It is more than facts, dates and people – it is the experience. It is the choices people made, facing the same dilemmas we face today.

HISTORY is yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
Every day, HISTORY is being made.


-Behind the Scene on Goenoengwesi Hill-
Mahandis Yoanata (left) and the Singaporean crews: Adi, Lou (camera person), Anthony Morse (host), and Justin (audiographer)

Schedule
Thursday 11 November 7:00 PM HK/SIN/MAL 6:00 PM Thai/WIB
Friday 12 November 1:00 AM HK/SIN/MAL 12:00 AM Thai/WIB
Friday 12 November 7:00 AM HK/SIN/MAL 6:00 AM Thai/WIB
Friday 12 November 1:00 PM HK/SIN/MAL 12:00 PM Thai/WIB
Saturday 13 November 12:00 AM HK/SIN/MAL 11:00 AM Thai/WIB
Sunday 14 November 9:00 PM HK/SIN/MAL 8:00 PM Thai/WIB
Monday 15 November 2:00 AM HK/SIN/MAL 1:00 AM Thai/WIB
Monday 15 November 2:00 PM HK/SIN/MAL 1:00 PM Thai/WIB
Saturday 20 November 1:00 PM HK/SIN/MAL 12:00 PM Thai/WIB
Friday 26 November 10:00 PM HK/SIN/MAL 9:00 PM Thai/WIB
Saturday 27 November 4:00 AM HK/SIN/MAL 3:00 AM Thai/WIB
Saturday 27 November 4:00 PM HK/SIN/MAL 3:00 PM Thai/WIB
Monday 29 November 8:00 AM HK/SIN/MAL 7:00 AM Thai/WIB


Japanese bunker and pillbox
There are 18 bunkers, built in 1942-45. They were interconnected among other bunkers by the trench. Part of trench is still visible until today.

Probably, The Japanese used this battery for coast watchers lookout, reconnaissance, military equipments storage, kitchen including the remains stoves, and briefing chamber. However, Japanese required the defense in South Coast of Java for precautionary the threatening of Allied Forces, especially Australia.

THE LONESOME BATAVIA’S LIGHTHOUSE IN MUARABARU

“…Batavia itself, nothing but a white chalked lighthouse is visible, then a small fortress hidden behind earthen walls and at the end of a small canal…”
Gevers Deynot, Herinneringen Eener Reis Naar Nederlandsch Indie in 1862, 1864.

“At the end of one of these moles, or walls, stands a small white lighthouse, indicating the way of approaching the city, which cannot be fully seen from the anchorage”
Albert S. Bickmore, Travels in the East Indian Archipelago, 1869.




ON MISSION

Lighthouse is a tower or other building with a powerful light at top, erected at the entrance of a port, or at some important point on a coast, to serve as a guide to mariners at night.

Observing the nearly forgotten old lighthouse in Muarabaru, northernmost point of Batavia, now Jakarta, on 13th of January 2010, accompanied by lovely Youfeta Devy.

This lonesome lighthouse was established in the mid of 19th century.

At least two travelers visited the Batavia’s harbor have reported about the lighthouse in 1860s. However, today this lighthouse is no longer in use.



THE LOCATION



The yellow dotted is the position of Batavia's lighthouse

Source:

"Plateground van Batavia"

Nederlandsche Topographischen Dienst - 1901

BATAVIA’S LIGHTHOUSE IN MUARABARU
ARLHS IDO-063; Admiralty K1068.5; NGA 23416

This lonesome lighthouse was established in the mid of 19th century. It had focal plane 17 m (56 ft); red flash every 3 s. 16 m (52 ft). Built in round stone tower and painted white.

Vuurtoren-Batavia, probably end of 19th century.

Printed by "Boekhandel Visser & Co" - Weltevreden

A postcard dated 12 November 1907

The Batavia's lighthouse and buildings of the port - 1880

Source: Tropenmuseum - Amsterdam

Batavia's Lighthouse in 1914

Source: KITLV

Batavia's Lighthouse in 1938

Source: Tropenmuseum - Amsterdam

Batavia's Lighthouse in early of 20th century

Source: Tropenmuseum - Amsterdam

OTHER OLD LIGHTHOUSES SUROUNDING BATAVIA

Pulau Edam: ARLHS IDO-061; Admiralty K1062; NGA 23404
Located at Pulau Edam, the center of the entrance to the bay of Jakarta. Established in 1881. This lighthouse has a focal plane 55 m (180 ft) with four white flashes every 20 s. 50 m (164 ft) and sided cast iron tower with lantern and gallery.

Tanjung Priok Inner Harbor: Admiralty K1073.5; NGA 23428.
Located near the harbor at Tipar, North Jakarta now. Established unknown, but the station established in 1885. It had focal plane 46 m (151 ft), installed the white flash every 10 s. 40 m (131 ft) skeletal tower, painted white.


REMARKS

Sturdy Figures

Photographed by Youfeta Devy

Present day, this lighthouse is located in the area of fish port, not on the top of waterbreaker anymore.

Destruction by neglected is a crime!

Inside The Chartered Bank: J. SABELIS’ COLORFUL STAINEDGLASS

The Cupola of Chartered Bank

This British overseas bank has three storey building which garnished by copula, that is a small domed structure on top of its roof, the gallery which garnished by long arcade, and the Doric column which installed in the front facade.

The Marble Plague Inscription

"THE FIRST STONE OF THIS BUILDING WAS LAID ON 27 FEBRUARY 1921 BY JOYCE MURRAY STEWART DAUGHTER OF THE MANAGER OF THE BATAVIA AGENCY OF THE CHARTERED BANK OF INDIA, AUSTRALIAN, AND CHINA"

Broadly, this neo-classical architecture adopted the rationalism and traditionalism in early 20th century.  It was the representative office of “Chartered Bank of India, Australia, & China” in Batavia, sited at Kali Besar West No. 1 – 2, on the corner of Gang Malaka and Kali Besar West. The bank's traditional business was in cotton from Bombay, indigo and tea from Calcutta, rice from Burma, sugar from Java, tobacco from Sumatra, hemp from Manila and silk from Yokohama.

THE MAP OF KALI BESAR AND ITS SURROUNDINGS

Blue point indicates the position of this building
“Batavia Military Guide Map”

Published by Survey HQAFNEI in December 1945.
Source: KIT - Netherlands
Courtesy of Hatmanto Sri Nugroho

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THE STAINEDGLASS:
J. SABELIS & CO. HAARLEM – NETHERLANDS
J. Sabelis & Co., Paint and Glaseries, Spaarne 73-79 and Gierstraat 60 in Haarlem.
1889-1926

Below, the detail of J. Sabelis’s work.
It describes the plantation activity in Netherlands Indies
with the gesture in European style.

Man Carried Tobacco

Rice Pounding Lady

Sugarcane Worker

Lady with Her Handbag

Rubber Plantation Worker

______________________________________________________________

Chartered Bank of India, Australia, and China in Batavia – 1920s

THE TIMELINE HISTORY OF CHARTERED BANK

1853
The Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China was a bank founded in London by James Wilson following the grant of a Royal Charter from Queen Victoria.

James Wilson
[3 June 1805 – 11 August 1860]
Painted by Sir John Wilson Gordon
Source: National Portrait Gallery, London

1858
The bank opened its first branches in Calcutta and Bombay and then Shanghai.

1859
The bank opened a branch in Hong Kong and an agency in Singapore.

1861
The Singapore agency was upgraded to a branch.

1862
The bank was authorized to issue bank notes in Hong Kong,
and printed bank notes in China and Malaya in the following decades.

1863
The Chartered Bank agency was established in Batavia.

1912
The New York branch was established.

1921
New building of representative office in Batavia was opened in Kali Besar West No. 1 – 2, on the corner of Gang Malaka and Kali Besar West with building size of 2,279 m2.
Designed by EHGH Cuypers (1859-1927)

1942-45
The Chartered Bank was affected by Japanese occupation.

1957
Chartered Bank bought the Eastern Bank together with the Ionian Bank's Cyprus Branches. This established a presence in the Gulf.

1964
The Indonesia government nationalized Chartered Bank’s operations in Indonesia and merged them into Bank Umum Negara (BUNEG).

1965
The Indonesia government brought BUN into the Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) group,
renaming it Bank Negara Indonesia Unit IV (BNI IV).

1968
The Indonesian government again reorganized some banks. BNI IV became an independent bank with the name Bank Bumi Daya (BBD).

1969
Chartered Bank merged with the Standard Bank of British South Africa
(founded by John Paterson in 1862) and became the Standard Chartered Bank.

1999
The restructuring agenda for the banking sector
on the subject of financial and banking crisis,
the government merged four state ownership banks: Bank Bumi Daya (BBD), Bank Dagang Negara (BDN), Bank Ekspor Impor (Exim), and Bank Pembangunan Indonesia (Bapindo). The new bank was established: Bank Mandiri.


______________________________________________________________


THE ARCHITECTURE INSIGHT

Gorgeous Minutiae of Neo-Romanesque Gallery
The Chartered Bank in Batavia was designed by Amsterdam architect, 
Eduard Gerard Hendrik Hubert Cuypers 
(Roermond, 18th of April 1859 - Den Haag, 1st of June 1927)

Eduard Cuypers, also a younger nephew of Piere Cuypers (a senior Dutch architect), adopted the Rationalism and Traditionalism value that quickly emerged after the first world war. The architecture of The Chartered Bank has a conception which seems strongly influenced by the Empire style popular and in use by the British in India. 

Rationalism tendencies with maximum economy in the use of land and in construction; the attention to the specific characteristics of different materials (wood, iron, glass, metals, etc.), the idea that artistic form derives from a previously defined method or problem, leading to the correspondence between form and function, and constant use of new technologies.  

Whereas the Traditionalism was a reaction against the Functionalism and the Expressionism of the Amsterdam School, and returning spirit to rural and national architectural styles and traditions, with tidy brickwork, minimal decoration.

“GANJANG MALAYSIA”
TERMINATED THE CHARTERED BANK

Soekarno’s thought about “NeoKoLim” (Neo-Colonialism, Colonialism, and Imperealism) torched and fueled the Indonesian’s confrontation to Malaysia in 1964. It applied that the British overseas enterprises in Indonesia would be nationalized as well to eliminate the influence of the neo-colonialism. Indonesian supposed that The British and its colony (Malaysia) was the agent of neo-colonialism, hence they had to be wiped out, without any exception.

THE STANDART CHARTERED BANK TODAY

The office building of Chartered Bank in Batavia told us about history of Standard Chartered Bank today. In the beginning, the bank opened the representative in Batavia since 1863. Present day, it has 14 branches in 7 largest cities in Indonesia; Jakarta, Surabaya, Bandung, Semarang, Medan, Surakarta and Denpasar. Hoewever, the heritage office building in Kali Besar was property as Indonesian state ownership bank since 1964.

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REFERENCES

“The Virtual Museum of Religious Architecture in Netherlands”

“Encyclopaedia Itau Cultural”

“Eduard Gerard Hendrik Hubert Cuypers”

“The Quest for the Ultimate Architecture Indonesia in the Late Colonial Period”
By Cor Passchier

“Het Indische Bouwen”
Architectuur en stedebouw in Indonesie
Seminar of Change and Heritge in Indonesian Cities, 1988