Fort Rotterdam was once a bastion of the kingdom of Gowa and a center of Dutch colonial government in Makassar. Today, the turtle-shaped structure serves as a place for locals to gather, study and play.
By
Reny Sri Ayu Arman
·4 minutes read
Fort Rotterdam was once a bastion of the kingdom of Gowa and a center of Dutch colonial government in Makassar. Today, the turtle-shaped structure serves as a place for locals to gather, study and play.
In late October, locals thronged to Fort Rotterdam. Parents, teenagers and children joined one another in playing various traditional games, including rope jumping, stilts, hopscotch, playing with tires, enggo-enggo and gebo.
Others chose to sit and relax in the front yard while enjoying the sunset view on the beach across the street. They were sitting along the thick wall that separates the fort from the main road. Some others were examining the paintings by local artists displayed at a gallery on a corner of the building.
On the weekend of Oct. 26-27, 2019, the Makassar Traditional Games Festival was held at the fort. Locals in Makassar, South Sulawesi, always enthusiastically welcome the event, which was in its eighth iteration in 2019.
“We hold the event here as this is a historic site with a vast yard. It is also shady and located downtown. Anyone can easily come here,” festival organizer head Hermansyah said.
The Makassar Jazz Festival, for instance, is held annually in the yard of the fort built in 1545.
Fort Rotterdam or Fort Jumpandang is a popular site for events. The Makassar Jazz Festival, for instance, is held annually in the yard of the fort built in 1545. The place has also hosted various other events, such as culinary festivals, exhibitions, competitions and arts and cultural performances.
On regular days, the fort remains full of people all day long. Students use the fort as a place to gather, study, learn English and hold discussions. They often sit down on the grass or in the corridors. The fort is also a popular tourist destination.
Ridha Wahyuningsih, 38, of Rappocini district, Makassar, often brings her son Faikal, 10, to the fort. “Where else can we find an open space for children to play and run around? Children can also learn about history and go to the museum here,” she said.
Public space
In Makassar, Fort Rotterdam is the sole surviving bastion of the kingdom of Gowa. Another Gowa legacy, Fort Somba Opu, can be found in the outskirts of Makassar that borders Gowa. However, only its foundation stones are left intact today.
It is strategically located in the downtown, some 500 meters from the Karebosi Field, the city’s kilometer-zero point.
Fort Rotterdam, often also called Benteng Panyua (turtle fort) due to its shape, is a popular public space for Makassar residents today. It is strategically located in the downtown, some 500 meters from the Karebosi Field, the city’s kilometer-zero point.
“The fort is open for the public so people can see, study and love historical heritage. The fort is a common space for the city’s residents and a city icon,” South Sulawesi Cultural Heritage Preservation Agency (BPCB) head Laode Muhammad Aksa said.
The fort’s La Galigo Museum has information, photographs, objects, banners and crowns once belonging to the kingdom of Gowa. There are also the BPCB office, the Makassar Arts Council secretariat, an art gallery and the former prison of Prince Diponegoro. Public facilities include a praying room, toilets and parking areas. Restaurants, cafés and streetside stalls can be found along the streets around the fort.
Long history
Built in 1545 during the reign of Gowa’s ninth king I Manrigau Bonto Karaeng Lakiung, the fort underwent changes under Gowa’s 14th king, Sultan Alauddin. At first, the fort’s walls were made of terracotta. Sultan Alauddin ordered the walls to be replaced with stone taken from karst hills in Maros.
The fort’s turtle shape is derived from Gowa’s philosophy of conquering land and sea. The fort is 2.5 hectares in area with 16 buildings inside. Five of them are bastions, namely Bacan, Amboina, Bone, Buton and Mandarsyah. After the signing of the Bongaya Agreement in 1667, the fort was handed over to the Dutch.
Among the Dutch rulers at the time, Cornelis Speelman, changed the fort’s name to Fort Rotterdam. For 200 years, the Dutch used the fort as the seat of government and a spice storage, until it was handed over to the Fort Rotterdam Foundation and declared a historical building in 1940.
Hasanuddin University historian Ilham Daeng Makkelo said that during Speelman’s reign as governor general in mid-18th century, the Dutch built houses, offices and military barracks around the fort.
Aksa said that the BPCB wanted to transform Fort Rotterdam into the gate to South Sulawesi’s tourism. It is the first destination for passengers of cruise ships docking at Makassar Harbor, located around 500 meters away from the fort. Facilities are continuously improved.
Today, public awareness about preserving historical buildings continues to grow. Our ancestral legacies are not only good places to learn about history. They can also bring economic benefits for local government and citizens.