Road workers on Citadelweg /Jalan Veteran 1 in 1948
The condition of most asphalted streets in Batavia/Djakarta after World War II was of a bad condition. During the years of war the Japanese did not invest in maintaining public buildings and streets in the city. Most buildings which were painted in camouflage green in the second half of 1941, did not return in their bright white colours until the second half of 1946 or early 1947. Throughout 1947 and 1948, when it was relatively quiet and the city mostly back under Dutch control, efforts were made to re-install street signs and restore damaged streets and pedestrian paths, like here on the Citadelweg (changed in 1950 into Jalan Segara 1 and now called Jalan Veteran 1).
Renowned stores
We have an interesting view of the street, looking towards the north. On the left on number 19 Rama Stores, which specialised in sports accessories. Number 18 housed the firm ‘Nieuw Holland’. On number 17 Enkfa tailors, where Mr. J. Schonewille was Director. The strip of these three stores is now occupied by Restaurant Dapur Babah. In 1948 there were more tailors further up the street: Arrichiello on number 12A, and Ragusa Frères (Ragusa brothers) on number 9. The tailors Luigi and Vincenzo Ragusa, who owned this store, also started selling ice cream on the annual Pasar Gambir from 1932 onwards, and in 1947 opened a permanent store on Citadelweg 10, next to the tailor shop. Today Ragusa Es Italia (Italian ice cream) is still based along this same street on number 10.
Fuchs & Rens was probably the most well-known car dealer in colonial Jakarta, however Verwey & Lugard were close behind. In 1927 they occupied this characterful building at number 29 on the road that was then called “Menteng”, but what now is Jalan Menteng Raya. In the 1930s the street was often referred to as “Oud Menteng” (Old Menteng). This showroom was just left of Hotel Schomper which was based on number 31 (and what is now Gedung Joang ’45). Verwey & Lugard were mostly known to sell the popular Studebaker car brand, however also sold Rolls Royce, Minerva, Mathis and Austro-Daimler cars, as well as Clydesdale trucks. They started the business in 1910 along Koningsplein West (Medan Merdeka Barat), then moved to Kebon Sirih, and in 1925 to these larger premises on Jalan Menteng Raya. Beforehand Importmaatschappij Janssen housed in this building which probably dates back to the second half of the 1910s.
Expansion
Verwey & Lugard expanded throughout the archipelago and as we can see from a 1927 advertisement (see in comment section), they also had branches in Medan, Bandung, Jogjakarta and Surabaya. On this picture we see four cars in front of the building, of which one is just being filled with petrol. Verwey & Lugard already moved out in 1928, but this location remained a car dealer and showroom, first by the NV Javasche Automobiel Handel. In 1941 Van Taalingen was based here. After independence, well into the 1950s, the well-known Djakarta business Mascotte Motors, housed on what was then called Djalan Menteng Raja 29. Verwey & Lugard moved in 1928 to the ground floor of Noordwijk 15 (now Jalan Juanda) where insurance company Arnhem was based. Jalan Menteng Raya these days is a school example of how old and new can live together. Around 35% of the original colonial era buildings in this street is still present. However this building has been demolished a while ago and is now the modern 10-storey campus of the Mercu Buana University.
The Amsterdam Gate in the 1930s (left) and during the demolition in 1950 (right)
In the early morning hours of Friday 15 December 1950 men with sledgehammers arrived at Jalan Cengkeh (the former Prinsenstraat) to start demolishing the “Amsterdamse Poort” (Amsterdam Gate or Gerbang Amsterdam). It was one of the last remainders in the city dating back to the 17th century and also the only surviving part of Batavia’s old castle. The gate had been remodelled a number of times. Until the late 1860s it still had its side wings, however they were removed to allow trams to pass by. Instead of demolishing the gate it was decided to let the trams take a circular route around the gate. During World War II the two statues of Mars and Minerva had disappeared.
Traffic obstacle
Ultimately the Jakarta City Council decided in 1950 that the Amsterdam Gate was a traffic obstacle for through traffic and that it had to be demolished. Due to the solid structure of the gate this took a few weeks until early 1951. Apart from a traffic obstacle it was obviously also an obstacle reminding one of the colonial past. An interesting contemplation: if the Amsterdam Gate would have survived until the 1970s, would Jakarta’s Governor Ali Sadikin (1927-2008), who has been hailed for his passion to preserve important parts of Jakarta’s history, have decided to also preserve this gate, and build the road simply around it? It possibly had the potention to become a tourist attraction. However there are no remains of the Amsterdam Gate today.
The front facade of Olieslaeger Jewellers on Jalan Juanda 11, 1971
The first jewellery store in Indonesia, established in 1850, did still exist in 1971. We look at the shopfront along Jalan Juanda 11 (formerly Noordwijk 11) where it was based since 1934. On 10 April 1850 Victor Olislaeger opened his “Joaillerie, Bijouterie, Horlogerie” along Rijswijkstraat (what is now Jalan Majapahit). Until 1861 it was the only European jewellery store in Batavia/Jakarta. Then Van Arcken & Co, another staple in Jakarta’s history, opened its doors too. Victor Olislaeger already passed away in 1854. His brother Johannes continued the business until he died in 1901, at the age of 68. The Olislaeger heirs took over the jewellery store in Rijswijkstraat but only for a few years, then it was sold, but the store name survived. Olislaeger Jewellers moved to Parapattan 56 in 1923, on the corner of what is now Jalan Ridwan Rais and Jalan Arief Rachman Hakim, close to the current Hotel Aryaduta. The premises on Rijswijkstraat 20 were afterwards occupied by fashion store Au Bon Marché. Olislaeger had one strict policy: all jewellery had to be paid cash on the spot. They did not allow any payments on credit. Olislaeger was usually present on the annual Pasar Gambir in the 1920s and 1930s too.
A 140,000 guilder diamond
During the 1934 Pasar Gambir a customer bought a diamond necklace and paid the required amount of 140,000 guilders in cash, as required. It was the most expensive purchase ever on the annual fair. During World War II, the jewellery store of Olislaeger was closed, and it was only on 15 April 1948 that it re-opened. Mr. J.L. Kiek, who had already been the general manager of the store since 1907 (!), fortunately survived the Japanese internment camps, and was still in charge when he organised a party in April 1950 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Olislaeger Jewellers. The store had an extensive atelier and workshop at the back where several Indonesian craftsmen processed precious metals like gold and silver (sourced from Bali, Makassar and Jogjakarta) into valuable jewellery pieces. We do not know when Olislaeger Jewellers store closed its doors permanently. It could well be that the building was (partly) sacrificed and demolished for the widening of Jalan Juanda in 1972/1973, and that this picture from 1971 is one of the last of this famous Batavia/Jakarta jewellery which has existed at least for a remarkable 121 years. If any Lost Jakarta followers have more information, please let us know!
The temporary post office at Rijswijk (Jalan Veteran), 1947
Former Batavia/Jakarta residents will immediately recognise this characteristic building as the well-known boutique clothing store of August Savelkoul along Rijswijk 8 (now Jalan Veteran). However in February 1947 it was the temporary ‘main post office’ of Batavia/Djakarta, i.e. the post office run by the Dutch authorities. Interestingly, the original main post office along Postweg (now Jalan Pos) was since 1945 managed by the Indonesian nationalists. While the Dutch regained control over the city throughout 1946, with the assistance of the British army and Nepalese Ghurka militia, the telephone exchange on Koningsplein/Gambir and the post office on Postweg/Jalan Pos were the last two buildings under Indonesian control. Hence there was a situation between the end of 1945 and early 1947 where Indonesian stamps were issued on Postweg/Jalan Pos, and Dutch East Indies stamps on Rijswijk/Jalan Veteran. The situation of dual post offices in Batavia/Djakarta ended in July 1947 when Mr. Catalani, who was the general manager of the Dutch controlled post office and had been the Director of the main post office on Postweg/Jalan Pos since its opening in 1913 (!), moved from the temporary premises on Rijswijk 8 back to the main office on Postweg/Jalan Pos. A newspaper article from 23 July 1947 mentioned that the transition happened peacefully and that “Mr. Catalani received a warm welcome from the Indonesian personnel, of which most of them knew him as they had already worked for him before World War II”. All Indonesian personnel was allowed to stay and keep working in the post office, hence it was a smooth transition.
NV Kledingmagazijn, formerly Savelkoul
Obviously, after the transfer of sovereignty in December 1949, all post offices came again under permanent Indonesian control. Shortly after the temporary post office had closed, the premises on Rijswijk 8 became a clothing store again under the name “N.V. Kledingmagazijn, formerly Savelkoul”. August Savelkoul himself did not return as he had moved to the Netherlands because his wife had become seriously ill. The store was managed by a certain Mr. N. Stoffel, at least until 1954. In 1955 the Indonesian Transport Advisory Bureau was located in the building on what was then no longer known as Rijswijk, but Djalan Segara. Later this street became Jalan Veteran. This lovely building has been demolished, but we do not know in what year.
An original train ticket from Parung Panjang to Tanah Abang, 1940s
We have obtained a rare train ticket for the trip from Pandjang (or Paroeng Pandjang, now Parung Panjang in West Java) to Tanah Abang in Batavia/Jakarta. It is not known from what year exactly but comparing the tariff for this trip with those from before World War II, and the ones in the Indonesian language from the early 1950s, it suggests this train ticket must be from the late 1940s. During the 1930s prices of train tickets were much lower as a result of the financial crisis. Train tickets we have seen from the early 1950s are in exactly the same design but then obviously in the Indonesian language and in Rupiahs rather than Guilders. However if any readers recognise such train tickets from their travel experiences in the past and be able to date this more precisely, we would love to hear that.
Tickets bought via K.P.M.
Parung Panjang was an important train stop on the line between Rangkasbetoeng/Rangkasbitung and Batavia/Jakarta. This ticket, with the option to travel first class for the full rate or second class for half rate, has been issued aboard one of the vessels of the Koninklijke Paketvaart Maatschappij (KPM) and suggests that passengers, who travelled between the islands of the Indies/Indonesia, had the opportunity to purchase train tickets before arrival, which probably would have saved them the hassle of queuing in front of the counters on the train stations, so they could go straight to the train platforms. It is surprising that such ordinary and everyday items like train tickets have become so rare. We can only assume because they were usually disposed of after usage.
