Friday, July 10, 2009

The Dutch Square (Stadhuys and Christ Church)

If you have not step foot in the Dutch Square area, then you can't say that you've visited Melaka. It'll be just wrong, haha. Well, technically it's untrue. But it is one of Melaka most famous historical landmark. You should at least visit there once.



How do you know that you've reach the Dutch Square? Easy, if the surrounding building are all painted in red, then you can be certain that you've reach there.



There are a few historical landmark which you can find in the Dutch Square area:



Stadhuys : This building was built in the year 1650 as the center of Dutch administration and residence of the Dutch Governor and their officers. The structure truly reflects Dutch architecture in that time and is believed to the the oldest Dutch building in the East. Now, it is known as "Museum of History and Ethnography" which exhibits traditional wedding clothes and artifacts of historical Melaka.


Christ Church: Built in the year 1753 by the Dutch and it is the oldest functioning Protestant church in Malaysia. Inside the Christ Church you can find jointless wooden ceiling beam(each cut from a single tree trunk), a brass Bible inscribed with the first verse of St. John in Dutch, a tombstones written in the Portuguese language and a tiled artwork replica of " The Last Supper". It also still contains the original hand crafted pews (church long bench seat) and window dated back 200 years old. Later, during British occupation in the year 1795, the church was consecrated as an Anglican Church.


Both Stadhuys and Christ Church is opened daily for tourists from 9 am to 6 pm.

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