Oranye Fort, Maluku Islands, Indonesia
3.5 (51 reviews) Spent Ranking #13 in North Maluku Historic Sites
Fort Orange
The Dutch were expert and extremely capable fort builders creating fully ramparted walls using trapezoids with angled bastions The Portuguese before them had few blueprints and constructed mostly semi-fortified trading posts which were vulnerable to Dutch attack. It was said that two fully-laden vessels of cloves, nutmeg, mace and cinnamon would be worth half a years Treasury income. No wonder the European nations fought each other over ownership of the Spice Islands (Molukas) so tenaciously for centuries. Not much remains today but what is there is worth visiting. Most of the battlements remain intact with several powerful canons pointing with no current purpose towards the harbour. Ignorant of the reason behind the stone walls, children play football inside the walls, chickens peck at the ground for food and dogs bark at strangers encroaching on their territory. The fort area is now officially a garden park with a few facilities offered. We did have the pleasure of talking with Omar who was born in neighbouring Tidore and took every opportunity to improve his English.
Address
Ternate Market, Indonesia.
Current local date and time now
Saturday, May 11, 2024, 4:06
User Ratings
3.5 based on (51 reviews)
Reviews
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4alliharper 5:00 PM Aug 2, 2015
A fort worth visiting
On our visit to Tenate our enthusiastic guide Tegue first took my husband and me to Oranje Fort - a Dutch fort built in 1607. This and other Dutch and Portuguese forts were constructed to protect the very lucrative spice trade in which the various European countries were engaged. At one time you could buy a ship with a small bag of spices. At the fort there is the original wall with a very loud and large gong at its top – a warning against intruders. It was fun to see all the children walking the wall. An old building houses a simple museum, which when we were there didn't have all its displays because it was being painted for the Indonesian president's visit. The women inside the museum wanted to have their pictures made with us, so out came multiple cell phones and cameras. Afterward we went to a nearby large open-air market, which was so colorful with all the women in their brightly patterned attire and with all the different spices, fish, and vegetables for sale. More pictures taken. We thought the visit to Oranje Fort very worthwhile and would recommend it to you.
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3Graeme D 5:00 PM Apr 30, 2015
Fort Orange
The Dutch were expert and extremely capable fort builders creating fully ramparted walls using trapezoids with angled bastions The Portuguese before them had few blueprints and constructed mostly semi-fortified trading posts which were vulnerable to Dutch attack. It was said that two fully-laden vessels of cloves, nutmeg, mace and cinnamon would be worth half a years Treasury income. No wonder the European nations fought each other over ownership of the Spice Islands (Molukas) so tenaciously for centuries. Not much remains today but what is there is worth visiting. Most of the battlements remain intact with several powerful canons pointing with no current purpose towards the harbour. Ignorant of the reason behind the stone walls, children play football inside the walls, chickens peck at the ground for food and dogs bark at strangers encroaching on their territory. The fort area is now officially a garden park with a few facilities offered. We did have the pleasure of talking with Omar who was born in neighbouring Tidore and took every opportunity to improve his English.
