5/5 Alvin E. 1 year ago on Google • 172 reviews
The
palace
was
a
residence
for
the governor-general
of
the
Dutch
East
Indies during
the
colonial
era.
In
1949,
the
palace
was
renamed
Merdeka
Palace,
"(ke)merdeka(an)"
meaning
"freedom"
or
"independence".
The
building
that
is
now
the
Merdeka
Palace
was
built
in
the
premise
of
the
Rijswijk
Palace
(present Istana
Negara)
when
it
was
considered
no
longer
sufficed
for
administrative
purposes
e.g.
big
receptions
and
conferences
during
the
mid-19th-century.
In
1869,
the
instruction
to
construct
a
new
palace
was
given
by
Governor-General Pieter
Mijer.
Construction
took
place
on
the
south
lawn
of
the
Rijswijk
Palace
on
23
March
1873
during
the
tenure
of
Governor-General James
Loudon.
The
Neo-Palladian
palace
was
designed
by
Jacobus
Bartholomeus
Drossaers
and
was
built
by
the
Department
of
Public
Works
and
the
contracting
firm
Drossaers
&
Company
at
a
cost
of ƒ 360,000.
The
new
building
was
built
in
southern
part
of
the
Rijswijk
Palace
grounds,
directly
facing
Koningsplein
(now Merdeka
Square).
Construction
of
the
palace
was
finished
in
1879
during
the
tenure
of
Governor-General Johan
Wilhelm
van
Lansberge.
The
new
palace
was
given
the
official
name Paleis
van
de
Gouverneur
Generaal ("Palace
of
the
Governor-General"),
the
official
residence
of
the governor-general
of
the
Dutch
East
Indies and
his
family.
Governor-General Johan
Wilhelm
van
Lansberge (1875–1881)
was
the
first
to
reside
in
the
building.
Governor-General Tjarda
van
Starkenborgh
Stachouwer (1936–1942)
was
the
last
Dutch
governor-general
to
reside
in
the
Palace.
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