History and Ethnography Museum

Step inside one of the oldest European buildings in all of Southeast Asia lah — the Stadthuys, that gorgeous salmon-red building dominating Dutch Square, and home to the History and Ethnography Museum of Malacca. The Stadthuys itself was completed in 1660 by the Dutch, making it over three hundred and sixty years old. Originally it served as the official residence of the Dutch governors and their officers. Later, during the British period, it became government offices. And since 1982, it has been a museum — arguably the most important museum in Malacca for understanding the full sweep of this city's incredible history. The History Museum on the ground floor takes you through Malacca's story from its legendary founding around 1400 by Parameswara, a Sumatran prince, all the way through to Malaysian independence in 1957. You will see artifacts from the Sultanate period when Malacca was the wealthiest port in Southeast Asia, followed by the Portuguese conquest of 1511, the Dutch takeover in 1641, and the British colonial era that began in 1824. What really makes this museum special is how it shows the layers of history sitting on top of each other, kan? Malacca was not just colonized once —...