Which capital city was called Batavia during Dutch colonial rule? Jakarta was called Batavia during Dutch colonial rule.
In 1619, forces of the Dutch East India Company, or VOC, seized Jayakarta on Java’s north coast and established a fortified city on its site. The Dutch named the new settlement Batavia. It became the VOC’s headquarters in Asia and later the administrative capital of the Dutch East Indies.
Batavia grew into a major port and trading centre, but its low-lying coastal setting created persistent problems. Canals helped with transport and drainage, yet flooding, poor sanitation and disease repeatedly affected the city. The population included Dutch officials, Indonesians, Chinese merchants, other Asian communities and enslaved people.
During the Japanese occupation in 1942, the city was renamed Jakarta. Indonesian nationalists continued using Jakarta during the independence struggle, and the name became definitive when Indonesia achieved independence. Today, Kota Tua preserves parts of old Batavia’s historic core.