Why go
The city’s different names record struggles over trade and political power. Knowing why Batavia emerged, and how Jakarta later became a stage for independent Indonesia, gives its buildings more meaning. This history also puts modern development in context, including the displacement that accompanied the reshaping of the city.
The full story
The Jakarta region belonged to the early kingdom of Tarumanagara before the port later known as Sunda Kelapa became associated with the Kingdom of Sunda. Coastal trade drew outside powers into the area. By the early seventeenth century, English and Dutch merchants were competing for influence around Jayakarta. Conflict between Prince Jayawikarta and the Dutch ended with Dutch victory in 1619. Under Jan Pieterszoon Coen, the Dutch consolidated their power and renamed the city Batavia. The name belongs to the colonial period whose civic buildings help define Kota Tua today. After the Second World War, Indonesian independence gave Jakarta a new national role. That change helps explain the prominence of monuments concerned with independence alongside the older colonial city. Political upheaval continued: the killing of senior generals in 1965 became a turning point in Sukarno’s downfall and Suharto’s rise. From the mid-1960s, Governor Ali Sadikin expanded roads, schools, hospitals and support for the arts. Urban rebuilding also displaced residents, while foreign investment encouraged property development. The city’s modern appearance reflects those social costs as well as its growth.