Before the Dutch ruled Melaka (1641–1825, with intermittent British rule), the city was run by the Portuguese, and they built the A Famosa (“the famous”) fortress to protect the city. 

When the Dutch wrested Melaka from the Portuguese, they set to work rebuilding a city that had lost its lustre after a months-long siege. This included repairing the A Famosa fortress. However, when Melaka was ceded to the British, these fortifications were once again destroyed. Sadly, all that remains today is a gateway known as the Porta de Santiago.

Although many think of Porta de Santiago as a Portuguese gateway by virtue of its name, the Dutch did leave their mark on this historic structure. Look for a crest at the top of the gateway, which bears the letters VOC. VOC is an acronym for Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie or Dutch East India Company, which was founded in Holland in 1602. (Yes, Southeast Asia was known as the East Indies back in those days.) 

In 1521, a Portuguese nobleman named Duarte Coelho built a chapel in Malacca as an act of gratitude, for he had narrowly escaped death during a storm in the South China Sea. 

Later named St. Paul’s Church, the chapel was taken over by the Jesuits—a religious order of the Catholic Church. St Francis Xavier, a Jesuit missionary famed for his work in Asia, spent time in Melaka from 1545 to early 1546, and he conducted mass at St Paul’s Church during this time. (He also had a church in Melaka named after him, the Church of St Xavier.)

When the Dutch took over, they discontinued services at St Paul’s Church after they had built their own Christ Church (see below). St Paul’s Church was later deconsecrated, with part of its structure used as the city’s fortifications. 

Soon after the Dutch captured Melaka, they set to work constructing a striking red town hall building known as The Stadthuys—this was modelled after a town hall in the Dutch town of Hoorn. 

Melaka’s Stadthuys is the oldest-known Dutch building in Asia. Today, it serves as a museum complex, where visitors can visit five museums (including the enriching History and Ethnography Museum) for the price of one ticket.

The Dutch community once resided along Heeren and Jonker streets—apparently, both street names are Dutch terms for “nobleman.” In Malay, these streets are known as Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock and Jalan Hang Jebat respectively.  

At No.8 Heeren Street, you will find an example of a Dutch-era shophouse. This shophouse previously functioned as a heritage centre, but it has been closed since 2019. To find out more, you can visit its Facebook page.

Wondering what a ‘bastion’ is? It’s a structure that protrudes from a straight wall, to provide a line of sight along the wall.

Named after the city of Middelburg in the Dutch province of Zeeland, the Middelburg (often spelt “Middleburg”) Bastion is part of a former 1.5km defensive wall around Melaka’s historic centre, which is where significant buildings like St. Paul’s Church, Christ Church, and the Stadthuys are located. The defensive wall was first built by the Portuguese in the mid-1500s, with the Dutch adding their own fortifications to the wall after gaining control of Melaka in the 1600s.

When the British invaded Melaka in the 1800s, they destroyed much of the city’s fortifications, including the Middelburg Bastion. Fortuitously, parts of what was thought to be the Middelburg Bastion were discovered on a construction site in 2006. Following which, the entire structure was reconstructed, according to the original specifications listed in historical documents.