If you come to Melaka, you must visit the red colored building at Bandar Hilir, Melaka. The building is known as Stadthuys and it is one of the famous historical structures in Melaka. It is also a museum. Stadthuys is an old Dutch spelling which means city hall. The building was built in 1950’s by Dutch occupants as the office of their colonization. It has 4 floors and the size of the building is about 49,200 square feet. This building was once the office for the Dutch Governor and Dutch Officers. It was also the administration office in Melaka until 1824.
After Melaka was handed over to the British, the building was used by the British as their administration office. There were some structure changes, but the British maintained the overall the design. After the independence of Malaysian, Melaka government used the building until 1979. The original color of the building is white but it was painted red and it became a landmark in Melaka as a reference or direction. It is also known as the Red Square.
One of unique room in the building is the Dutch Governor Office. It has wood decoration on the ceiling. There’s also a Chinese mythology arts at the wall on Dutch Governor Room at 4th floor.
