Palace of Daendels

The Palace of Daendels in 1896.
The Ministry of Finance in 2010.

The Palace of Daendels, now the Ministry of Finance Building, is an early 19th century building in Sawah Besar, Jakarta, Indonesia.

During the rule of Governor-General Herman Willem Daendels (1808-1811), the administration and military were moved inland from downtown Batavia to Weltevreden, with a town planned around King's Square (Dutch: Koningsplein) and Waterloo Square (Dutch: Waterlooplein).

Much of the old town, including its walls and castle were torn down for construction materials to build new government and civic buildings in Weltevreden, such as the Palace. Construction on the Palace started in 1809 on the northeast side of Waterloo Square. The Empire style building is composed of a main part and two side wings, connected to each other by arched gates. While the main building was intended to become the private quarters of the Governor-General, the side wings would house government offices and guest rooms.[1]

Due to the war with the British, construction stalled and the building was not completed until 1828 by order of Leonard du Bus de Gisignies. Because of the size and colour, the building was also called the Big House (Dutch: Groote Huis) or White House (Dutch: Witte Huis).[1]

The building currently houses the Indonesian Ministry of Finance.

References

  1. 1 2 Heuken, Adolf (2000). Historical sites of Jakarta. Jakarta: Cipta Loka Caraka. pp. 199–200.

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