Malacca is one of those places that have always intrigued me and imaging first my delight, and then disappointment, when we booked a cruise onboard Cunard’s Queen Victoria that initially had Malacca on the itinerary and then, within weeks of sailing, Malacca was replaced with Kuala Lumpur from Port Kelang….

Queen Victoria Singapore to Cape Town

 

That was in March 2019 and despite our best efforts, finding another cruise that would satisfy our disappointment at missing Malacca proved hopeless.

And so it was that as my wife and I began to tire of the all to repetitive cruising life – we have 74 cruises under our belts with 248 different ports of call –  we started embarking on journeys and holidays ashore which afforded us additional opportunities to visit places around the world that had eluded us on our cruise adventures. Granada, Bari, Cordoba, Matera  and Malacca being but a few.

And so it was in November 2024 we flew London to Kuala Lumpur and transferred to Malacca by pre-booked taxi to spend 4 nights at the Colonial style ‘Majestic Hotel’….

 

Malacca, known as the ‘Historic State’ is a combination of old-world elegance and modern vigour. A colourful melting pot of cultures that combine Malay, Chinese, Indian and European influences.

At the heart of Malacca’s historic district is a collection of architectural and cultural treasures relatively easy to see on foot. Central to this area is Dutch Square….

 

 

a World Heritage Site offering a collection of colonial-era buildings…..

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Within a matter of metres from Dutch Square is Malacca’s main Tourist Information Office and one of the old town’s historic  fortification,   Middelburg Bastion…

It really is that close. In the photograph above you can see the Dutch Square Clock Tower and  the Tourist Information Centre is the building with the red pointed roof just to the right of the Bastion wall. Other images of  Middelburg Bastion….

 

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The Middelburg Bastion  was actually one of nine bastions in Malacca City. The bastion has been restored, together with cannons, and is open for visitors. The Dutch name is in reference to the city of Middelburg in Zeeland, Netherlands

After the fall of Portuguese Malacca to the Dutch in 1641, the Dutch carried out new measures to ensure the defence and security of Malacca.  They fortified the wall of Malacca City to further strengthen the existing city defence left by the Portuguese. The fortification measures involved the construction of this bastion strategically located at the mouth of Malacca River. It  was carried out in 1660.

 

Turning towards the river and a short distance along the River Malacca bank is another historical feature linked to the trading importance of the city, a wharf side crane….

 

 

This crane was built by the Dutch during their colonization of Malacca and was originally used for unloading cargo from ships in the harbor. As ships grew larger over time, the river port became unsuitable for modern vessels, and the crane, along with Malacca’s port, eventually lost market share to other ports like Penang and Singapore. 

Today, the crane is a historical landmark, located near the area where river cruises operate, and serves as a reminder of the city’s rich history as a strategic trading port that changed hands between the Portuguese, Dutch, and British colonizers. 

Continuing along the river bank a couple of metres and up onto the Tan Kim Seng Bridge and one is immediately confronted with the colourful entrance to Jonker Street…..

 

 

The Jonker Walk is the Chinatown area of Malacca, Malay name  Jalan Hang Jebat. It is a street  filled with historical houses and shops, cafes and restaurants along both  sides, most  dating back to the 17th century….

 

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It’s a popular tourist destination both day and night…..

 

The area turns into a night market every Friday, Saturday and Sunday with its street blocked to traffic.

The secret during the day  however is to use Jonker Street as one’s reference point while exploring the maze of streets running off it to discover the pearls of Chinatown like the Chee Ancestral Mansion….

The Cheng Hoon Teng Temple…..

Cheng Hoon Teng Temple is Malaysia’s oldest Chinese Temple and a symbol of Malacca’s multicultural heritage and religious diversity…..

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The Eng Choon Association….

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The Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum….

…which sheds light on the Peranakan Culture – a unique fusion of Chinese and local malay, Indian, or other Southeast Asian traditions, resulting in a distinct identity characterized by its colourful art, food, and language – that thrived in Malacca….

Not all buildings are inextricably linked to the Chinese. At the heart of China Town is the Kampung Kling Mosque…

While its origin is linked to Indian Muslim traders  dating back to 1748, its architectural design features Sumatran, Chinese, Hindu and Malay features.

Visitors seeking an insight into the colonial past of Malacca should head to St Paul’s Hill….

… accessed via a footpath behind Dutch Square ‘Stadhuys’ building that leads past the ‘Democratic Government Museum’ and up the steps shown above.

 

Saint Paul’s Church is a historic church building  that was originally built between 1566 and 1590. It is the oldest European building east of India. It is located on the summit of St Paul’s Hill….

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The historic church building that was originally built in 1521 and dedicated to the Virgin Mary, making it the oldest of its kind in Malaysia and Southeast Asia

 

Spread around the ruins are numerous historic tombstones…..

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The majority of the epitaphs on the tombstones are records of individuals with Dutch ethnicity and the others are Portuguese who lived in Malacca prior to the Dutch colonial takeover….

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Further colonial era graves can be found on the side of St Paul’s Hill surrounding the Church….

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Not all graves are Dutch and Portuguese. I noted this particular one belonging to an English Family….

…the Evans and Velges….

How incredibly sad to note that four children died at such young ages.(2 months, 16 months, 3 years and 4 years.

 

Our descent from St Paul’s Hill was from the opposite side of our ascent. The reason for this was it gives access to another historical area known as A Formosa…

A Famosa  was a Portuguese fortress built   circa 1512. The oldest part of the fortress was a five-storey keep which eventually gave its name to the fortress as a whole.

That’s St Paul’s Church to the centre right in the photograph above.

Some time following the Battle  of Malacca in 1641 the Dutch occupied the city and the ‘Keep’ was destroyed while the outer walls of the fortress were expanded. In 1811 the British destroyed all of the original fortress and most of the outer walls. The only surviving gate of the A Formosa Fortress  is the Porta de Santiago Gateway…

It is one of the oldest European architectural remains in Asia and stands as a historic gateway to St. Paul’s Hill. While the rest of the fortress was destroyed by the British in 1807, Porta de Santiago remains a popular historical landmark. , and the rebuilt Middelburg Bastion (Covered earlier in this blog) are the only parts of the fortress that remain today.

Returning to Dutch Square by circumnavigating St Paul’s Hill and a   short walk from the Porta de Santiago can be found this rather unusual but grand memorial, the Proclamation of Independence Memorial

The building is so named because the announcement of Malaya’s impending independence was made just across the road from here. The former colonial building now houses an exhibition that traces the nation’s arduous journey to independence. 

…followed a short distance away by  the Dutch Cemetery….

A graveyard first used in the last quarter of 17th century and used in two stages, in which the first one was in 1670–1682 by the Dutch themselves and the second one in 1818–1838 by the British. A total of 5 Dutch officers and 33 British officers and their spouses were buried there.

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Having now returned to Dutch Square there is an option to stroll along the riverside walkways….

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…..maybe stopping for refreshment at one of the many bars and cafes along the walk…

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Crossing at the various bridges….

Dependant on time and the individual’s  level of walking activity one could carry on…

…as far as Kampung Morten….

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Kampung Morten is a historically traditional Malay village that is named after a British land revenue collector, Frederick Joseph Morten.  The village has  evolved to become a tourist attraction and was declared a heritage village under Malacca’s Preservation and Conservation Enactment in 1989. Currently, it houses more than 100 traditional Malay houses…

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There are two alternatives that may appeal to those not up to walking the 30 -40 minute river walk. The first would be to take a taxi to visit the Floating Mosque….

There is no charge to enter the mosque and for those who arrive short of the recognised dress standard there is a convenient ‘loan’ venue at the entrance….

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The second venue that we took the opportunity to visit was the Malaysia Prison Museum….

 

Malaysia Prison Museum  displays items and information about prison life in Malaysia through the ages. It was officially opened by on 20 November 2014.

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The museum’s building was originally constructed in 1860 by Governor Colonel Cavenagh as HM Prison Jail, and was also known as Henry Gurney School 2nd Bandar Hilir since 1964 and Bandar Hilir Prison since 11 June 1990.

 

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There are numerous rooms with exhibitions of various subjects within the museum. One that fascinated us was of Photographic equipment…

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The Prison’s original kitchens are also on show ….

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The Malaysia Prison Museum certainly impressed us as a visitor attraction.

And one final visitor attraction worth a visit, and only a short walking distance from Dutch Square,  is the Menara Taming Sari….

 

A 110-meter-tall gyro tower that  is the first and tallest gyro tower in Malaysia…

….with great views over Malacca when at its highest level…..

 

That concludes this review of how to see Malacca which  my wife and I considered to be an excellent port of call.