Makassar

How old exactly the city is, is not described. When the Portuguese arrived there in 1512, there was there already busy trade driven by Chinese, Arabs, Indian, Malaysian and other peoples in the region. There were many spices, but also textile and metal traded. It was part of the Gowa Empire.

When the Dutch in 1667 came and founded an establishment of the Dutch East Indian Company (VOC), the situation changed. The Dutch wanted exclusive rights of the regional trade and there was no place for regional traders. Many of the regional trade therefore moved towards China.

By the Gowa people there was already built a decent coastal defenses. On this defense the Dutch built a large Fort that they named after the Dutch city of Rotterdam. It is a pentagonal fortress. Although the Dutch had the coast well under control, the Interior of Sulawesi remained unexplored until the beginning of the 20th century.

In 1942, the Japanese took over the region. Indonesia became independent in 1949 and that was also noticeable from 1950 in Makassar.

Nowadays has Makassar 1.7 million inhabitants and is by far the largest city in Sulawesi and officially the capital of South Sulawesi. Trade is no longer the hallmark of the city. Tourism and services are a far more important factor. Because it is located at the sea, it is also an important fishing town. Of course it's also the place where most tourists arrive and there is an international airport.

The city has not so much to offer for tourists. Fort Rotterdam is place that is worth a visit. It is free of charge and the buildings look fine, though you can’t visit most homes inside. You can openly walk around everywhere else. There is in the building to the right a museum where is a nice exhibition about the history of the island and a description of the various peoples who live on the island. Admission to the museum costs 10,000 Rupiah.

The road from the fortress to the North of the city is mainly crowded in the evenings, because there are a lot of karaoke bars and other ‘doubtful’ shops. After 3 kilometer there is the port of Paotere Pelabuhan. Here are many traditional fishing boats (prahu pinisi). Who walk further passes the largest flour factory of the island. A bit further is a smaller fishing port, also with traditional fishing boats.

Who walks to the South from Fort Rotterdam gets in the city's main shopping street, Jalan Somba Opu. Here is a lot of trading in gold and jewelry, especially on the north side of the street.

A nice place to stay is boulevard Jalan Penghibur, to just hang out, eat or go to see the sunset.

In the city are a number of large shopping centers for those who like shopping, but in the smaller streets are also local markets. Of course there are also several mosques in the city and a single Church.

There are a few islets off the coast where you can get by boats. The largest is Keke where you can swim, but there is nothing else to do and you should bring your own food and drinks. On the islet of Samalona live is quite, a few people live here and you can get a simple lunch. A third islet is Lae Lae, where you can eat fresh fish and can walk around.

Further, there seems to be an indoor amusement park Trans Studio Makassar

Except by plane, you can also leave the city by bus. Regarding to the long distances on the island, not a luxury.

First published: 03 December 2013
Last update: 05 May 2015
© A. Heeroma

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