ABSTRACT
Around 1728, the Amsterdamer Jan de Marre wrote these lines in praise of Batavia (present-day Jakarta):
O lovely Batavia, that holds me spellbound,
There your Town Hall with its proudly arching vaults
Rears its profile! How splendid is your situation!
Your broad Canals, replenished with fresh water, beautifully planted,
Need bend before no city in the Netherlands …
The Tiger’s Canal, of which Batavia well may boast,
Throws up proudly to the skies a row of Palaces
And glitters from end to end with jewels of architecture …
O’ershadowed by an avenue of eternal spring green …
How does Batavia charm the stroller then! 1
