Meester Cornelis

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The military school of Meester Cornelis / East Indian fruits / The Chinese camp 1875–1900

Meester Cornelis is the former name of Jatinegara (also, Batinegara, Djatinegara, or Mester), a district of Jakarta on the island of Java .

The district was named after a Calvinist , Bandanese teacher, preacher and landowner from the third quarter of the 17th century, Meester Cornelis van Senen . In 1656 van Senen became the owner of a property of around five square kilometers of forestry area on the Ciliwung River, 12 kilometers southeast of Batavia . Meester Cornelis died in 1661, but his name remained associated with the area that was called "Meester Cornelis" for almost 300 years.

Eighteenth century

Floor plan of Fort Meester Cornelis around 1744

Originally, the area was a fortress with apartments, wide paths and a rural character. The post of Meester Cornelis at Ciliwung is already recorded on a map dated around 1744. In another map from 1764 it is referred to as the field hill.

From 1706 a buffalo market was held in the old area by Cornelis van Senen, which resulted in a market. In 1734 the fort was walled. The commandant of the fort founded an amusement park with an arcade. In 1746 a military camp was set up to escape the bad climate of Batavia City, where malaria was a threat to health, while Meester Cornelis was higher up and the air was drier.

Nineteenth century

In 1805 an artillery school was built. In 1810, the Dutch general in the French service of Daendel had the area fortified as a focus of defense against possible British attacks. Meester Cornelis was the southernmost part of Batavia at that time. It was precisely there that the British were expected to invade, which then took place in 1811. In 1820 the fort was rededicated as a prison.

The military school in Meester Cornelis opened in 1852 and closed again in 1892. It was not the first Dutch military school in the Dutch East Indies , but the largest and the one that has existed the longest. A third of the students were born in the colony, the majority came from the Netherlands, a tenth from the rest of Europe, especially Germany. Most were middle-class descendants. The students were consistently unsuitable for the training. Nevertheless, the school initially developed positively. The number of students doubled during its existence. The reasons for the closure were primarily financial. Only one in three students graduated successfully, which is why the cost per student was unacceptably high.

The Niederländsch-Indian Railways opened on 31 January 1873 rail of Meester Cornelis by Buitenzorg for public transport. 16 trains a day stopped at Meester-Cornelis station, eight from Batavia and eight in the opposite direction.

Twentieth century

Main street in Meester Cornelis (photo taken between 1870 and 1900)

Meester Cornelis became an independent municipality at the same time as Batavia with a municipal council in 1905. Since 1922 it had its own mayor. The mayors were Mr. M. van Doorninck (1922-1932) and Mr. G. Pitlo (1933-1935).

In 1935 the place was incorporated into Batavia. By the independence treaty with the Republic of Indonesia of December 27, 1949, the city was renamed Jakarta . Other European names were also changed. Meester Cornelis, now part of Jakarta, was also renamed and is currently called Jatinegara.

Born in Meester Cornelis

Illustrations

  • Aerial view of Meester Cornelis with the Batavia train station

  • Viaduct in Mr. Cornelis

  • The St. Josefkerk and the Ursuline monastery in Meester Cornelis Batavia

  • Gereja Santo Yoseph, Matraman, Jatinegara, Jakarta

  • The military school in Meester Cornelis

Coordinates: 6 ° 14 ′ 0 ″  S , 106 ° 53 ′ 0 ″  E