Stadthuys

Lonely Planet review

Melaka's most unmistakable landmark and favourite trishaw pick-up spot is the Stadthuys, the imposing salmon-pink town hall and governor's residence. It's believed to be the oldest Dutch building in the East, built shortly after Melaka was captured by the Dutch in 1641, and is a reproduction of the former Stadhuis (town hall) of the Frisian town of Hoorn in the Netherlands.

With substantial solid doors and louvred windows, it is typical of Dutch colonial architecture. Its red paint job is thanks to the British, who brightened it up from a sombre Dutch white in 1911, 87 years after they were ceded the colony. Numerous scenarios have been proposed as to why the British painted the building this colour, but the most likely theory is that the red laterite stone used to build the Stadthuys showed through the whitewashed plastering, and/or heavy tropical rain splashed red soil up the white walls - the thrifty Brits decided to paint it all red to save on maintenance costs. The vivid colour theme extends to the other buildings around Town Sq and the old clock tower.

Housed inside the Stadthuys is the informative History & Ethnography Museum, which has a re-created 17th-century Dutch dining room as well as displays of Chinese and Malay weapons and ceramics. Upstairs there's a room on Melaka's history. Unfortunately there's very little information about the building, which is what intrigues most people who visit the site. Up the hill is the mildly interesting Literature Museum, focusing on Malaysian writers. Admission to the above museums (as well as the Governor's House and the Democratic Government Museum) is included in the admission price to Stadthuys.