Malacca

Malacca is a wonderful city for nice daytime activities or for a stay of more than one day. The city has many beautiful attractions, all clearly representing the great history of the city. From Kuala Lumpur you can easily access Malacca by bus, taxi or rental car. Residents of the capital often travel to Malacca during weekends to have a good rest and to enjoy the delicious food which the city is famous for. Malacca was already famous during colonial times. First the Portuguese set foot here, followed by the Dutch and the English colonials. Especially the Dutch left their marks. There still a great example of Dutch architecture known as ‘Stadthuys’; build in 1660. The Dutch Christ Church was built in 1753. Both buildings are still in use. The city itself has besides the two buildings not that much to offer. It’s best to visit the city for a maximum of two days, and then continue the trip through Malaysia. Malacca was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008, together with Georgetown. Both cities have a wonderful historic center, with typical building styles of former times. Many of the attractions can be found within the limits of the Heritage Site. At the beginning of the 16th century, merchants and entrepreneurs were lured to Malacca’s shores due to stories of the city’s burgeoning success and wealth. In particular the city saw an influx of Chinese traders who arrived in droves in an effort to escape Manchu rule. These entrepreneurs went on to marry local Malay women – descendent of these marriages were known as Peranakan or ‘Straits-born Chinese’. Their relative success resulted in these expatriate merchants becoming the principal wealth catalysts of the thriving city. The ‘Babas’ (male Sino-Malays) flaunted their affluence by purchasing Dutch townhouses and transforming them into out-and-out palaces.