"Dit is het Paradeplein," he said to us in Dutch, and we are pleasantly surprised.
It is not uncommon to be addressed in Dutch. There are still many older people who used to go to Dutch schools and still remember fragments of Dutch. The curriculum in Holland and the East Indies was exactly the same. Our friend could rattle off a whole series of Dutch cities. I could join him; apparently we had studied Dutch topography from the same book.Paradeplein, Parade Square, in colonial times, now renamed: Jalan Letjen Soprato so as not to be reminded of colonial rule. Yet we met many people who were still proud that they could speak some Dutch which the nuns or brothers had taught them.
Gereja Blenduk, domed church, dates back to 1732 and is the oldest Christian church in central Java. It is good to see that the church is still in fairly good condition. The walls have been whitewashed, the copper dome caught the sunlight and looked almost new. On closer inspection the copper had become weather-beaten and the plaster on the walls was peeling off.
The church is fronted by four pillars and a handsome classical portico. The interior reminded me of many protestant churches in Holland; it looked the same, it felt the same. The church was renovated in the early 1900s, new furniture and a new Baroque organ. The wrought iron winding staircase leading to the organ is strong and robust. It was made in Holland and I wondered if it had been difficult to ship.
It was probably used as ballast on board ship. Ships sailing from Europe to the East Indies needed to have some cargo on board otherwise they would be too light and too high on the water, which would make them unstable and liable to listing. So bricks and I suppose this iron staircase too were used to make the ship heavier and thus more stable. On their way back these ships were laden with spices, coffee, tea, rubber, cocoa. That was really the reason why ships plied the route East Indies – Europe.
When we step outside our friend draws our attention to the building across the road. Ironically enough it houses an insurance company these days. It was designed by a famous Dutch architect, Thomas Karsten, for the Nillmij, a Dutch insurance company. Karsten blended several styles almost to perfection: art-deco, Javanese and Dutch. The building is octoangular and has three floors. In those days only ‘foreign’ built buildings had more than one floor.
When I saw this building I immediately recognised it. I had seen it before in one of my father’s photos taken in 1932.
On the Left The Nillmy Building. On the right Gereja Blenduk.
Gereja Blenduk anno 2002