Heeren Street

You're now walking along the most prestigious address in old Malacca — Heeren Street, lah! Officially renamed Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, this street was once known as 'Millionaire's Row,' and when you look at the grand facades lining both sides, you'll understand exactly why. Heeren Street takes its name from the Dutch word 'Heeren,' meaning 'gentlemen.' During the Dutch colonial period from 1641 to 1824, this was where the wealthiest merchants and most influential families chose to build their homes. And when the Straits Chinese — the Peranakan community — rose to prominence in the nineteenth century, Heeren Street became their boulevard of dreams. Now, here's a fun detail that explains the quirky architecture, kan? During the Dutch era, property taxes were levied based on the width of your building's street frontage. So what did these clever merchants do? They built their houses incredibly narrow at the front — some just five or six metres wide — but extended them deep into the block, sometimes stretching fifty metres or more. Step inside any of these townhouses and you'll discover a whole world hidden behind that narrow facade: courtyards, airwells that flood the interior with natural light, kitchens, prayer halls,...