The Terra Cotta Stadthuys Melaka

Guarding Melaka’ Stories and Secrets…

Interested to know more on Melaka’s history? Just head to Stadthuys Melaka.

Stadthuys is a historical landmark that you couldn’t miss while you are here in Melaka, Malaysia. It is a great place to visit in Melaka Historical Fun list.

History & Background

Originally, Stadthuys Melaka was built to serve as the official residence for the Dutch Governors in 1650 after they defeated the Portuguese in 1641. This building projected a fine example of Dutch masonry and woodwork skills.

This alluring terra cotta (brownish red) building was a four storey building built on a terrace of St. Paul’s Hill covering 49200 Sq. ft in area. The name itself is in Old Dutch spelling which literally mean “town hall”. Here in Melaka it is also known as Red Square. Just have a look at the photograph below and you will understand why it is named Red Square.

CityTurtle:Dutch-Square The Melaka Dutch Square aka RED Square

Its connection with Netherlands

Stadthuys Melaka is a reproduction of the former Stadhuis (town hall) of the Frisian town of Hoorn in the Netherlands which existed from 1420 until 1796. Later, in 1976 the Hoorn's former Stadhuis was replaced by a building that is now known as Het Oude Stadhuis (the old town hall). The Het Oude Stadhuis is still found there and was in use until 1977.

Therefore, if you are interested to know how the former Stadhuis of Hoorn looked like in the 15th to 18th centuries, you should head to Melaka as it provides an excellent representation of the now extinct Frisian building.

Why was it painted RED or terra cotta?

Originally, the Stadhuys like the other Dutch administrative buildings in South East Asia was painted white. However, after Melaka was handed over to the British, it was re-painted terra cotta by the Bristish in 1911.

Nobody knows the actual reason why these buildings were painted terra cotta in colour. However, there are plenty of theories and legends told by the locals.

CityTurtle:Stadthuys-Malacca The back view of Stadthuys Melaka

There’s one story that mentioned it was the Dutch who painted the buildings red as a remembrance of their homeland. Apparently, they wanted to copy the colour of red brick stone houses in Holland. However, this theory is questionable because according to historical records, it was the British who painted the buildings terra cotta.

There is an amusing story that, during the Dutch Colonial, the locals were venting their hatred and contempt for the Dutch by constantly spitting the red discharge from chewing betel or "sireh" onto the white walls of the buildings. In order to cover these RED spits, the British simply painted the building terra cotta! This is a creative and amusing story as it combined the local cultural traditions with anti-colonialism sentiment.

CityTurtle:Laterite-Stone-Malacca The laterite stone in Pulau Upeh was used as the construction material of Stadthuys Melaka

A more logical reason was that the red laterite stone used to build the Stadthuys showed through the whitewashed plastering due to the lack of maintenance. Also perhaps red soil often splashed up the white walls after heavy rains contribute to the British’ decisions to paint it all to terra cotta to save maintenance cost!

More Secrets & Mysteries…

Why the building was painted red was not the only mystery. Personally, the tales of secret pathways and tunnels were much more alluring. They were supposed to serve as strategic hidden entry and exit points into this "RED building".

According to a local literature expert, Munsyi Abdullah, there was a tunnel that ran through St. Paul's hill into the Stadthuys. We are not surprised as there are a few Dutch building along the hill. He also remarked that the building had a door which gave direct access to the Malacca River which is located about 200 metres away.

Personally, I believe that logically, these strategic escape route or pathway was indeed necessary when conquering a foreign land. Therefore, these stories are probably true.

According to the museum records, these are their findings:
During the restoration work in 1985, a pool and a pathway were found when demolition works were undertaken against new extention to building. Just beneath the floors a superb drainage system that flows back into the Malacca’s river has been constructed by the Dutch.

I doubt that the findings above are the ones mentioned by Abdullah as many believe until today, these secret pathways and tunnels have not been found. If you are adventurous, maybe you should try to uncover Stadthuys Melaka's closely guarded age-old secrets when you visit Melaka, Malaysia!

Today it houses the Museums of History & Ethnography.

CityTurtle:Stadhuys-Melaka The entrance to The Museum

The museum of History will transport you back to the golden era of the Melaka Sultanate, conquest of Melaka’s Port by the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British. Later, followed by the Japanese occupations and the return of the British before Independence.

By visiting this museum you could experience and walk through the Melaka’s stories of bloodshed, tragedy, power and triumph.

The Museum of Ethnography features various aspects of Melaka’s society in the 20th century. (Marriage customs, style of daily life, musical instruments, household appliances, traditional games and cultural aspects).

CityTurtle:Rickshaw The Runner-pulled rickshaw during the 19th century