Gondangdia is an old city full of traces of Colonial heritage.
The Dutch came to Indonesia several hundred years ago. Its traces can be seen in all cities in Indonesia, Jakarta is no exception. In Jakarta, one of the areas full of Dutch heritage buildings is Gondangdia Old Town, Central Jakarta.
The origin of the name Gondangdia there are several versions. Gondangdia comes from the name of the Gondang tree that grows on wet soil. Another version says Gondangdia is the name of a large snail-like aquatic animal.
If you walk along Jalan Cut Meutia, most of the buildings on the left and right still have Dutch architecture. Call it the Cut Meutia Mosque. During the reign of Governor-General Daendels, this mosque was the office of housing developer De Boewploeg. In the hands of a Dutch developer, Gondangdia has become an elite housing estate whose buildings have changed a lot.
Not far from the Cut Meutia Mosque is Menteng 37 House. The house used to belong to CF Starkey, director of the NV Java Neon Company. Before turning into an office as it is now, Rumah Menteng 37 was once converted into a shelter for women with economic limitations, driven by the Christian Women’s Union.
Another colonial heritage building is Gedung Joang 45. The building which is now a museum, was originally a hotel. Built by Schomper, the hotel is named after its founder.
At that time, Schomper established a hotel as a stopover for Dutch and indigenous officials and foreign businessmen who visited Batavia. Schomper and his family also live there. However, they have been eliminated since Japan came to power in Indonesia.
The Japanese army confiscated Schomper’s assets and turned the hotel into a dormitory and educational place for Indonesian youth. The goal is to create Indonesian youths who support Japan’s actions in the country.
However, the youth actually made the hostel a place for nationalism education. There was the role of Sukarno, Mohammad Hatta, Adam Malik, Chaerul Saleh, and other youth figures of freedom fighters in instilling nationalism in the dormitories.
The name Schomper was also changed to Menteng 31 Building. Carrying a new name, Menteng 31 Building had several times changed its function to become the office of the Ministry of People’s Power Mobilization and the Office of the Daily Council Force 45.
Having a big role in seizing and defending independence, Menteng 31 Building has been converted into a museum since 1974.
Other historical buildings in the Gondangdia area are the Kunstkring Palaes Monument and Gondangdia Market. Opened on April 17, 1914, Kunstkring is a center for art exhibitions and fine dining. Paintings by renowned painters Pablo Picasso and Vincent van Gogh were exhibited in the building.
Meanwhile, Gondangdia Market is a place for buying and selling. The Gondangdia traditional market became the forerunner to the birth of the famous Boplo gado-gado to this day. The name Boplo is taken from the word De Boewploeg.
Gondangdia is currently a neatly organized elite area. The presence of Gondangdia Station makes it easier for residents of Jakarta, Depok, Bogor and Tangerang to come to the area for work, leisure or just transit.