The Best Preserved Dutch Fort in Asia
(Barbara
Crossette, New York Times Reporter)
History of Fort Rotterdam
According to
some literatures, this fort was build in
1545 by the King of Gowa Kingdom
, Imanrigau Daeng Bonto Karaeng Lakiung. Initially the name of this fort is Fort
Ujung Pandang, while locals used to call it Fort Panyyua. This fort used to be a landmark of Gowa
Kingdom in its years of properity.
During Sultan Hassanuddin’s administration
(1655-1669), the dutch attacked Gowa Kingdom in order to gain control of spice
trade and as a milestone to conquer Banda and Maluku, the land of nutmeg.
During this one-whole-year aggression, Fort
Ujung Pandang was heavily damaged, and the Sultan was forced to sign the
Bongaya Treaty with which the Kingdom of
Gowa gave its administration
under the VOC (dutch east india company), therefore made Gowa as a de-facto colonial territory of dutch. After
rebuilt by dutch governor Cornelis Speelman, the fort was named Fort Rotterdam
as a legacy to Speelman’s hometown.
http://wisata.makassarkota.go.id |
Original design of Fort Rotterdam was rectangular-as
the majority of Portuguese buildings- with four bastions on each of its corner.
The sea-turtle ground plan is in line with the philosophy of the Makassar
people as sea explorers.
However, after Speelman’s renovation,
Fort Rotterdam adopted dutch style, and the 5th bastion was added on
its western side.