Malacca Heritage - Uniquely Melaka

Malacca, a beautiful coastal city by the western shore of Malaysia, is a city of heritage where you can find the imprints of British, Dutch and Portuguese forces left behind in buildings, forts, places of worships like churches and many more. It is no wonder that its rich historical culture has earned it a World Heritage Site designation in July 2008.

The state is also very much one of the key state for the birth of the Baba Nyonya ( or Peranakan Chinese ) culture that transcends the various places along the straits of Malacca. Nyonya is the term for the ladies and Baba for the gentlemen from the decendents of late 15th and 16th-century Chinese immigrants to the Indonesian archipelagos during the Colonial era. Members of this community in Melaka uniquely address themselves as "Nyonya Baba" instead of "Baba-Nyonya" vs the other decedents along the straits settlement. 

Upon arrival from a 4 hour bus from Singapore, we headed over to the Melaka Sentral ( Malacca Central) for a day of sightseeing. One would find it a convenient place to sightsee as most of the major attractions are located within a stone throw from each other. 

Simply drop off at the Melaka City Centre, near the Stadhuys and you can find yourself immersed in a tapestry of interesting images comprising of meaningful historical establishments from the various colonial periods, old shop houses heavily embellished with ornaments that depict their creator's culture origin , all of which stands side-by-side with modern shopping complexes and government offices. 

The Dutch Square, Chirst Church and the Stadhuys

Dutch Square, Christ Church and the Stadhuys

This unique group of distinctive terracotta-red colonial Dutch buildings, with white louvered windows and wrought iron hinges, was built between 1660 and 1700 to form a beautiful square that surrounds Christ Church and the Stadhuys. The Tang Beng Swee Clock Tower, built in 1886 ( This building is not of  Dutch origin even though it seems to blend in very well) can be found together with an ornated Victoria Fountain within the square.

It is easy to venture around on foot or you can opt for one of the colourful trishaws that brings you to explore this rustic area. We have decided to explore this small heaven on foot, so that we can take our time to learn about the rich heritage and history that has shaped the landscape and left a mark on the local's everyday life.

Well decorated trishaws to take tourists around,Malacca, Dutch Square

Snap short of Grandpa & Granddaughter on a Trishaw, Malacca, Dutch Square

There is a fountain situated right in the middle of area, and is one of the oldest functioning fountain in Malaysia.The Queen Victoria Fountain is erected in 1904 to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, a celebration to mark a 60th anniversary of the reign of the Queen.

A little fun fact here : Queen Victoria surpassed George III as the longest reigning monarch in England, Scotland and British history on 23 September 1896, for a total reign of 63 years, 7 months and two days.

Queen Victoria Fountain, Malacca

Chirst Church Melaka with Queen Victoria Fountain , Malacca

View upwards, Dutch Square, Malacca

The Christ Church, the oldest protestant church in Malaysia, is subtlety situated at the edge of the square was built between 1741 and 1753 by the Dutch during the colonial period. It was actually constructed to replace a Portuguese church that had been damaged prior. Later on, when the British took over Malacca they added a weathercock and bell to Christ Church and transformed it from a Protestant church into an Anglican one. Christ Church not exactly big, comprises of only about ten rows of pews before the main altar. On the floor of the church you will still see some Dutch tombstones.

 

Melaka Maritime Museum

Melaka Maritime Museum, Malacca

As you walk further down south, you would arrive at the Melaka Maritime Museum which is situated inside a Ship, located at Quayside Road ( about 10 minutes walk from the Dutch Square)

The "Ship" is a replica of the Flor de la Mar, a Portuguese ship that sank off the coast of Malacca on its way back to Portugal. Opened to the public in 1994, this unique structure of 34m-high, 36m-long and eight-metre-wide, aims to highlight Malacca’s importance back in the day as a business centre along one of the key waterways for trading between the east and west. The Melaka port was chosen as a rest destination by many traders in the past due to its strategic location, serving both as a meeting point for the changing monsoon winds while offering protection from the typhoons from Sumatra. The Malacca port was also located at the narrowest point of the Straits of Malacca which makes it very easy for the Melaka Sultanate to control the ships.

The interior of the ship is very much divided into three levels and flanked by a spiral staircase in the middle. Some of the displays include artefacts and documents from the Malacca Sultanate, Portuguese, Dutch and British colonization era. There is a collection of model ships as well as some materials on Malacca’s history and famous Malaccan legends.

Melaka Maritime Museum

 Artefacts in Melaka Maritime Museum

 Artefacts in Melaka Maritime Museum

A slow walk along the Malacca River brings us to other beautiful sights and historical places, which we very much enjoy.

Malacca River, Melaka River Flows

The Melaka River spans a total distance of 10km and is said to be the birthplace of Melaka because the Sumatran prince Parameswara founded Malacca sultanate here and built his palace on the east-bank of the river (at the foot of St. Paul’s Hill) in the 1400s. The river banks are well maintained and littered with many cafes and restaurants offering a nice scenic place for us to rest and enjoy a sip of tea against the evening sun.

Malacca (Melaka) River & the River Cruise

As we walk further along the the Melaka riverbank, it is not difficult to spot the prominent Melaka Sultanate Watermill, a huge wheel like structure that has became a famous backdrop for picture taking. Construction of the mill was completed by March 2008, the Melaka Sultanate Watermill has since been recorded as the first and the largest watermill in Malaysia.
According to some sources, this 13-meter structure is actually a replica of the real structure and cost as much as RM1.5 million. The mechanism was based on the Islamic technology and represents the glory of Malacca. The turning of the water wheel symbolizes the wheel of life and evolution of man’s civilization.

Melaka Sultanate Watermill, Malacca

The Famous Melaka Sultanate Watermill along Malacca River

Cannons on Fort along Malacca River

Fort along Malacca River

Casa del rio melaka Hotel opposite the Mill, Malacca River

A bird spotted along the Melaka River

St. Francis Xavier Church

St. Francis Xavier Church, leaning to its left, after a century in service, Malacca

Located on Jalan Laksamana, this century old Catholic church’s was built in 18th century in honour of St. Francis Xavier, a prominent 16th-century Catholic missionary also known as ‘Apostle of the East. The twin-spired neo-gothic structure was built on the site of an old Portuguese church by a French priest, Father Farvé, in 1856. For quite some time, it became the largest church built by the Paris Foreign Missionary in the Malay Peninsula. It was believed that the church was modelled after the Cathedral of St. Peter in Montpellier in Southern France, which closely followed the older church’s original construction.

After over a 100 years in service till today, the current structure leans a bit to its left already. When we visited, there were additional constructions in front of the church, not too sure if it further affects the stability of this church, but we hope that the building could remain intact for more years to come.

Jonker Street, the heart of Old Malacca

Jonker, Heeren and adjacent streets is the place to take in the charm of the residential area and cultural hub of old Malacca. Located just west of the Malacca River, with its narrow winding streets, intricately decorated houses, and endless rows of shops selling all sorts of knick knacks and interlaced with old temples and mosques. This is also a place to find signature local fare like the Hainese Chicken Rice balls and Chendol desserts.

One of the streets in this area is Harmony Street (officially Temple street or Jalan Tokong), as it contains the prayer houses of Malaysia's three main faiths - the Cheng Hoon Teng Chinese Buddhist temple, the Sri Poyatha Vinayagar Moorthi Hindu Temple, and the Kampung Kling Mosque for the Muslim.  

Entrance of Jonker Street, with a Dragon in the Air

Old shophouse , Jonker Street, Malacca

A nice park with some bronze statues along Jonker Street, Malacca

Statues in Jonker Walk Park,  Jonker Street, Malacca

Intricate buildings, Jonker Street, Malacca

Hainanese Chicken Rice Balls for Lunch, Jonker Street, Malacca

GlobetrotforTwo, US at Jonker Street, Malacca

Pineapple tart making, Jonker Street, Malacca

More interesting shops, Jonker Street, Malacca

Rustic Place, Jonker Street, Malacca

  
As the night falls, the roads are blocked off from vehicles while the whole district transforms into night market  or otherwise known locally as " Pasar Malam" where you can find some good buys and souveniers

Night scene, Pasar Malam at Jonker Street, Malacca

While there are already many colourful sights in the city, you can also explore other places in the outskirts like a visit to the Portuguese settlement for seafood dinner or engage in other recreational activities such as golfing, trekking or a visit to the local Melaka Zoo.

Portuguese Settlement 

This is an idyllic seafront area is where the descendants of the Portuguese,  who conquered Malacca in 1511 live till today. This Cristang community settlement, located just southeast of the city centre along  "Ujong Pasir Road" consists of tidy rows of mostly wooden houses leading up to the Portuguese Square (Malay: Medan Portugis). One of the landmarks would be the Hotel Lisbon and a reconstructed jetty located on the waterfront.We couldn't find the excact location on the first day of our visit, but our lovely hosts uncle Dirk & Aunt Jennie drove us there to have seafood dinner.

There are also many seafood restaurants for you to have a relaxing dinner along the picturistic beach, and it is an excellent place for families to bring their dogs for a walk too. The most interesting times to visit would be during Festa San Pedro to commemorate the Festival of Saint Peter in June with some cultural shows and general merry-making; and of course Christmas when the whole settlement is decked in decorative lights and many of the residents actually have " open houses" to celebrate the most important festival of the year by sharing their culture with you.

Our Hosts- Uncle Dirk & Aunt Jennie with their two dogs, Portuguese settlement, Malacca

Having Seafood at one of the ten restaurants that faces the water front with our hosts

Accomodation in Malacca, Melaka Bed & Breakfast Homestay with a lovely couple

We stayed with a lovely couple Mr & Mrs Dirk Fischer at their bed and breakfast for two evenings.



Their house is a lovely two level property that is nicely renovated resort-style and comes completed with a homely swimming pool.
The great hospitality from Uncle Dirk (German) and Aunt Jennie (Singaporean) Fischer, their two lovely dogs (Golden Retrivers) and 4 cats, begin at our point of arrival where Uncle Dirk personally picked us up from the coach drop off point. When we we arrived at their lovely place, Aunt Jennie extended her hospitality by preparing some delicious supper for us. 

Over the next two days, the lovely couple also brought us to savour delicious local delicacies for breakfast before we venture on our own to the sightseeing and shopping at the major malls and completing our weekend get away from a good local massage that is very reasonably priced.
 We decided to end off our home stay with a relaxing swim at the pool, with the lovely dogs of course, before boarding our coach back home.

Lovely dogs at Uncle Dirk & Jennie's Place

Have a relaxing swim at the Bed & Breakfast - Dirk and Jennie Fischer & their dogs

Overall, this had been a great home stay, away from the hustle & bustle over the long weekend.
You may wish to contact  Dirk and Jennie Fischer fischer@golfandmoremelaka.com
or visit their site Golf and More for more information. 

Malacca, we have enjoyed very much and concluded it as a great location for a short getaway. 
So till next time then.