Bogor Palace, 1842

Image: Adrianes Bik/Atlas van Stolk

Have you been to Bogor? If so, you certainly would not miss Bogor Palace. Because the complex is wide and very strategic, not far from Bogor Station. So, people from Jakarta who take the train to Bogor will definitely pass this magnificent palace.

Bogor Palace is one of the six presidential palaces of Indonesia. It was built in 1774 by Governor General van Imhoff as a resting place for the governor general who was tired of busy life in Batavia. This palace has the privilege of being in a complex with the Bogor Botanical Gardens which contains thousands of types of plants.

The lithography above shows the atmosphere at the Bogor Palace around 1842 by Adrianes Bik. We can see a magnificent palace with a lake and large trees typical of the Bogor Botanical Gardens. We can also see Dutch people riding horses and sitting on park benches. What's interesting is that some black people who seem to be slaves are working to take care of the palace garden area.

Image: T. Reijgers/Atlas van Stolk

In this lithography by T. Reijgers, there are also interesting things, namely the deer of the Bogor Palace that still exist today. It turns out that the deer have long been residents of the Bogor Palace. If you take a walk around the palace, you can feed the deer.