Kota Intan Bridge

Kota Intan Bridge was constructed in the 17th century by the Dutch government to connect the West Kali Besar and East Kali Besar. Kota Intan Bridge located at Kota Tua Jakarta which was known as Batavia on the time of Duta colonial. Kota Intan Bridge was made of wood and equipped with leverage to get the lower side of the bridge up when there was ship or boat passed by. In the Dutch colonial time the ships which deliver spicy from hinterland to the warehouse would pass by Kota Intan Bridge.

In the government of Indonesia, Kota Intan Bridge was restored and was made to be permanent; hence it can’t be leveraged anymore. The reason behind because at the moment there’s no mo ships pass trough the bridge. It was told that a famous painter Vincent Van Gogh had visited Batavia before and painted a painting of Kota Intan Bridge.

History 

Kota Intan Bridge had several names before it finally named as Kota Intan Bridge. After being constructed by Dutch government, the bridge was named as English Bridge (Engeise Brug), as at that time not far away from the bridge; a fort that belonged to England was under construction. Later on the name of the bridge was changed to Central Bridge, which estimated due to the management of the bridge which was control by Nederland Indies government. In the 1900th year the bridge’s name was changed again to be Chicken Market Bridge (Hoenderpasarbrug) due to there was a busy chicken market next to the bridge. In 1938, in the government of Queen Juliana, the bridge was renovated and the name was changed to be Queen Juliana Bridge (Ophaalsburg Juliana). Last, the name was changed to Kota Intan Bridge due to near the bridge there’s a castile which name was “Diamond” (diamond = intan in Indonesian Languange).

Other Interesting Places Near to Kota Intan Bridge

You can also find other interesting places near Kota Intan Bridge such as Jakarta History Museum, Wayang Museum, Fine Art and Ceramic Museum, Bank Mandiri Museum, Bank Indonesia Museum, Jakarta Kota Station (Beos), Maritime Museum, Sunda Kelapa Harbor, Syahbandar Tower, Batavia Café, Batavia Hotel and other old buildings. Glodok area which is like the China Town of Jakarta is only 1-2 km away from Kota Intan Bridge. You can also find Jaya Ancol Dreamland Park with many amusement facilities like Dunia Fantasy, SeaWorld Indonesia, and Gelanggang Samudera in just 3-5 km away from Kota Intan Bridge.

Tips

    If you’re a history lover and is visiting or in Jakarta City at the moment, then you may find Kota Intan Bridge at Kota Tua Jakarta as an interesting object.

    If you plan to visit Kota Intan Bridge and other interesting places at Kota Tua area by walk, it’s recommended to start your visit there since morning to avoid the stinging heat of the sun. You may need to wear a cover for your head like hat or umbrella and wear comfortable footwear. Besides by walk, you can also try to ride bicycle ojek which can easily be found at Kota Tua area.

    You can visit Kota Intan Bridge and Kota Tua Jakarta by riding personal vehicle or taxi. You can also alternatively ride TransJakarta Busway from the first corridor, which routed from Blok M to Kota Tua. If you ride the Trans Jakarta Busway, you can get off at Kota Station which is where busway from the first corridor ended. Kota Intan Bridge is about 700 meters away from Kota Station.