AYUTTHAYA HISTORICAL RESEARCH



BAAN HOLLANDA





After being plundered and burnt in the Burmese attack of March-April 1767 CE, "Tuek Daeng" (1) rose from her ashes again. A modern facility with a Dutch colonial-style front, facing the Chao Phraya River, has been constructed by the Dutch Government in close cooperation with the Thai authorities and the Fine Arts Department on the old VOC-site (2) in Ayutthaya. Baan Hollanda, as it has been baptised, is situated on what was previously called "Ko Wilanda" or the Dutch Island, formed by the old Lopburi River (3) on its north and western sides and Khlong Suan Phlu on its eastern and southern sides. On the same island, located in the present Khlong Sra Bua sub-district, were Wat Phanan Choeng, some smaller temples, and the English settlement.


In 1938 CE, the Fine Arts Department registered the Dutch settlement as a historical site (published in the Royal Gazette 55 of 27 February 1938). In 1952 CE, with the assistance of the then Curator of the Fine Arts Department, Luang Boribarn Buriphan, the solid brick foundations of this considerable V.O.C. establishment were located.


With the generous assistance of the Dutch community in Thailand, a brick monument bearing an inscribed bronze plaque was erected on these brick foundations on 19 August 1956 CE. [1] Also in 1956 CE, excavations at the site were carried out by foreigners (Dutch?) authorised by the local authorities. A tunnel was dug near the VOC memorial and subsequently filled in. [2] Not much is known about these excavations at that time.





(Inauguration of the VOC memorial plaque by N.A.J. de Voogd, Extraordinary Envoy and Minister Plenipotentiary (1954 - 1957) of the Dutch Legation on 19 August 1956. (Ben Oostdam's Journal of Three Years (1954-1957) in Thailand)



When, 50 years later, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands visited Thailand to celebrate the 4th centennial of Thai-Dutch relations, a new wind blew in favour of the old VOC site, and work began to preserve the cultural and historical value of the former Dutch habitation. The "Baan Hollanda" project was born. "Baan Hollanda" - probably a corruption of Holland and "Wilanda" (4), as the Dutch were called in the Ayutthaya era - is in fact the realisation of a 50-year-long process that began with the inauguration of the brick VOC memorial in 1956 CE.


Excavations by the Thai Fine Arts Department, 3rd Region, began in 2004 CE to mark the 400th Anniversary of Thai-Dutch relations. Three brick structures were uncovered. In 2005 CE, a second excavation followed, but work was apparently suspended due to a budget shortfall. [3]


Excavations finally resumed in 2008 CE, with financial and technical support from the Dutch Government. Archaeologists located the foundations of a fourth brick building and discovered several artefacts, including clay pipes, glassware, coins, and ceramics. The main VOC building, a two-storey structure measuring 12.5 by 45 metres, could unfortunately be excavated only partially, as much of its foundations lie beneath the neighbouring private shipyard.





(Excavations at the site of the Dutch lodge – Picture taken January 2010 CE)



The settlement, measuring 1.3 Rai (2000 sq. m) today, occupies only one-tenth of the original VOC plot. The three other brick foundations discovered were apparently a warehouse, accommodation and a game hall, as described by Gijsbert Heeck (7). The four brick foundations were consolidated to preserve them.


A Memorandum of Understanding for the Dutch Information Centre project in Ayutthaya, in fact an extended activity marking the 400th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Thailand and the Netherlands, was approved by the Thai Cabinet on 17 November 2009 CE. [4] On-site construction began in early September 2010 but did not get underway until the end of the monsoon period. The building was finalised in April 2011 CE.





(Baan Hollanda – Picture taken April 2011 CE)



Baan Hollanda features a modern exhibition that explains the key events and facts of the Dutch East India Company's involvement in Siam and provides a picture with proper historical context, as well as a drawing showing the continuity of Thai-Dutch relations up to the present. The exhibition project was led by two Thai historians, Mr Dhiravat na Pombejra (5) and Mrs Bhawan Ruangsilp (6), in cooperation with Thai and Dutch museums.


The information centre can be reached by boat, as a suitable landing has been built on the riverside. This could have been done in connection with the Japanese and Portuguese settlements.


Baan Hollanda opened its doors to visitors on 3 April 2013 CE.





(The Dutch exposition at Baan Hollanda – Picture taken February 2015 CE)



Selected PICTURES



The construction of Baan Hollanda - Pictures taken 2010-11 CE



The Dutch Information Centre - Pictures taken 2013-15 CE



When the past no longer illuminates the future, the spirit walks in darkness.
(Alexis de Tocqueville)





HISTORY OF AYUTTHAYA



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