S/V Mojombo: Melaka

With out doubt our favourite Malaysian city, Melaka has a wealth of cultural and historic heritage on display for visitors, some of it dating back almost 500 years.

Melaka’s Dutch or Town Square

Strategically located at the narrowest part of the Straits of Malacca, Melaka began as an insignificant fishing village, but well before the arrival of Europeans had already become a strategic Islamic trading port linking India, China and places beyond. In 1511 the Portuguese became the first European power to wrest control of the town, largely on account of its importance to the lucrative European spice trade. After several pitched battles, in 1641 the Dutch East India Company assumed control. Britain informally occupied the town in 1795, formalised after a trade with the Dutch in1825. Occupied by the Japanese between 1942 and 1945, British independence was granted (as with the rest of Malaysia) in 1957.

Each of these successive waves of political and economic control has left indelible marks on the city, as has its diverse blend of Eastern cultural and ethnic communities. So intact is much of the old city that in July 2008 large areas were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Melaka River

Streetscape in the area formerly known as Kampung Belanda (Dutch Village) because it was where many of the Dutch colonialists lived. Gradually taken over by Pernanakans (also known as the Baba-Nonya), a wealthy Chinese/Malay merchant class, the area is now known as Chinatown.