Stadion Semarang, The First Velodrome in East Asia

The Semarangsche Stadion, currently well-known as Stadion Diponegoro as shown in reconaissance photos in January 1945. The complex in its opposite to the right is the Gementelijke Zwembad, currently turns into culinary centre.
(sources: Semarang Beeld van Een Stad)

The needs for sport facilities in the modern city is couldn't be denied, there’s countless car-free day event every weekends thorughout cities in Indonesia to accomodate the needs of its citizen to do sport. Just like what Latin phrase said Mens sana in corpore sano which translated as there’s healthy mind in a healthy body. In the city of Semarang, the efforts to provides public sport facilities once were one step ahead among the cities in Indonesia and its provided by such a crowdfundings movement among its citizens, isnt provided by the government. 

view from the main tribune of the stadium which can be seen
from the distance steeply sloping bend of the cycling track (velodrome)

A stadium but not only accomodate football activity but also standardized athletics tracks and even cycling and motorcycle race tracks, hence its consider as the first modern sports complex in the Dutch East Indies, present day Indonesia according to the Locale Techniek Journal Vol. 3 Issue No. 5 published in 1934. Its pioneering modern style stadium at that time time where its not only an open area for sport with tribunes for its spectators, but also with supporting facilities such as changing rooms, toilets and the other spaces required to support its activity. These changing rooms in the stadium each equipped with a lavatory and shower with hot and cold water. The hot water is obtained by means of a hot water appliance, made by Askania-Werke AG, a Germans company, which works automatically and amply meets the required requirements. Furthermore, each dressing room is equipped with a washing table with mirror, coat hooks, table and benches. 

An overview of the steeply sloping bend of the
cycling track (velodrome)with two warring tricycles.
(source: Locale Techniek Journal Vol. 3
Issue No. 5, 1934)

Besides a football field on its largest dimensions and a modern cement cycling track made of stamped concrete with 10 cm thick sheets whereas this so-called velodrome was the first in East Asia as its mentioned also in the journal! Its indeed that this kind of sport facilities is not the first in the colony as before it there’s several were built e.g Malangsche Stadion or well-known as Gajayana Stadium, opened in August 2nd 1926 which actually much simpler than the Stadium of Semarang. Another its predecessor is in Solo, which only different couple of months with Semarang. The Sriwedari Stadion in Solo which initiated by Sri Susuhunan Paku Buwono X, Sultan of Solo, officialy open in January 1934 and Semarang is in April 1934.

As reported by a Bataviaasch nieuwsblad, the opening of Semarang Stadium held on Sunday, 29th  April 29th 1934. The opening was enlivened by several activity performance which is started with a football match of  Semarang vs Solo, a relay race,  a gymnastic demonstration of 950 students,  Holland-China korfball match,  and closed with cycle and motorbike race which involved riders from Batavia, present day Jakarta and Semarang. To attract the events, the committee cooperate with the major railway company at that time, Nederlandsch Indische Spoorweg Maatschappij (NIS) that for Solo-Semarang, Yogyakarta-Semarang and Surabaya-Semarang lines it allow groups of ten or more people a reduction.

The soccer field covered with Lamuran type of grass, and around it once used as an athletic track of 4 meters wide, then next to it directly the cycling track made of concrete 7 meters wide.  

Its very interesting once again to found out that this Semarangsch stadium, nowadays well-known as Stadion Diponegoro was created and built by private initiative. Because of the fortunate circumstance that a very favorable building site was being put into operation by the Administration Office of Peterongan, its possible to change the city plan with the help of the city's urban advisor Semarang Ir. Th. Karsten as required and to ensure that the access and exit roads to the stadium were provided.

The design of this stadium itself was based on the idea: how can we classify a sports park, which meets all the requirements, on a surface that is as small as possible, with a view to the cost price of the land. The tribunes had to comply with the following information for seating and standing space provided by local associations: main seat stand could accomodate around 1.000 places and the standing places around 8.000. This space consider to be sufficient enough for a large competitions at that time. Its also equipped with such a high-end lighting facilities which consists of 4 pieces of 32 m high masts, partly from the overhangs of the tribunes. Eight spotlights are mounted on each mast for the 1000 Watt football pitch lighting, so that the field is illuminated by 32,000 watts, giving a light intensity of 30 Lux on the field. This lighting is excellent. The illumination of the cycling track is done from the masts before the bends; for straights from the stand The bends are illuminated with 6000 watts each, while the straights are also illuminated with 6000 watts each; total 24,000 Watts.

Semarangsche Gementelijke Zwembad in 1947 by C.J. (Cees) Taillie, a photographer and reporter that serves for Dienst voor Legercontacten (Service for Army contacts) during the Indonesian Independence Revolution period.
(source: Tropenmuseum)

The natural spring in Candi Stoom, Tegalsari, Semarang. This only
active natural springs in the downtown of Semarang once became the
main water sources for the Semarangsche Gementelijke Zwembad.

Later in 1941, a large swimming facilities accross the stadium were built and its designed by Liem Bwan Tjie, the Semarang born architect which famous for its art-deco style. Its has an Olympic-size swimming pool where the race course is 50 metres (164.0 ft) in length and its provided with cafetaria as its supported facilities. The water for this brand new swimming pool provided by the natural springs in Candi Stoom, distributed with the pipeline network almost 3 Km away. This springs currently the only natural springs that still preserved in the downtown areas of Semarang, and serves as the water sources for the neighborhood surround it. Well its not like the stadium in its opposite, its built and managed by the Gemeente (city municipality) of Semarang, thus its called Semarangsche Gemeentelijke Zwembad.  Bataviaasch nieuwsblad on its articles reported that on its opening that held in October 25th 1941, the municipal authorities invited the Dutch Indies Swim Club to organize a competitions between swimmers from Batavia, Bandung, Surabaya and Malang. Couple of polo teams came over so that the opening of the swimming pool grazed by large swimming competitions that cost the municipality ƒ 750.- for the opening. 

The main entrance to the Semarangsche Gemeentelijke Zwembad,
designed by famous Semarang born architect Liem Bwan Tjie.
(source: wikimedia commons) 

The fate of this sport complex nowadays does not reflect its glory in the past at all.  Either the stadium and swimming pool were declined over the decades. The swimming pool even closed in 1999 and turns into a culinary centre with several tenants inside it, and the pool were converted into skate area and fish ponds. The stadium were lucky as its still stood till today but its badly neglected. The peoples nowadays mostly recognized the stadium as the place for concert, and also place for buy a book with cheap prices, as in the east sides of the stadium wall there’s bunch of seconhanded book seller tenant. There’s an rumours in 2013 appears to public from the online advertorial that the stadium will be sold for Rp 260 billion which soon afterward generates a lot of criticism regarding its historical value. But then the 4th Military Area Command of Diponegoro as the current owners  reject the claim and said its no way for them to sold the property as its belongs as the national property of Republic of Indonesia. 

Could The VOC Consider as The Most Valuable Companies of All-Time?

infographics from visualcapitalist[dot]com, stated VOC as
The Most Valuables Company of All-Time

In the end of the year of 2017, I saw an interesting infographics in my social media feed that reminds peoples about an old company that for long time ago take a part in the colonialization process in Indonesia, the Veerenigde Oostindische Company (VOC). This infographics released by visualcapitalist[dot]com as a part of their weekly feature of “Chart of the Week”, and in Friday December 8th 2017, they put VOC as The Most Valuable Companies of All-Time. The valuation of VOC reachs 7,9 trillion, taken from Tulip Mania period which the market cap of VOC reachs 78 million Guilders, or 7,9 trillion USD in todays money. Tulip Mania itself widely considered the world’s first financial bubble. This value worth as much as the sum of 20 world’s largest companies market caps, such as Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Exxon Mobil, Berkshire Hathaway, Tencent, and Wells Fargo. All of them combined gets us to $7.9 trillion. Its indeed that VOC were considered as one’s of the first capitalist enterprises in the world. But maybe its not a good comparison to put VOC with these modern enterprise as this company wouldn’t succeeded without government support and it had an army and a navy it used to attack and intimidate, well its absolutely not a free trade.

VOC fleet victory over the Portuguese fleet for Banten, 1601 engraved by Bartholomeuw Dolendo (source: Rijksmuseum)

VOC history started in the beginning of 17th century, when the Europeans compete each others to dominate the world trade of spices. Its began in the where the country which just get its independence from Spain, formed Amsterdam based investment syndicate, with the dreams of vast wealth and spices from South-East Asia. They made the first attempt to Indonesia lead by Cornelis De Houtman in 1595, which despite is success to reach Banten, but ended disastrously with 142 casualties even De Houtman itself. The second attempt, lead by Jacob Cornelius van Neck as Dutch persisted planned to try to break into the existing trade network on equal term in South China Sea Region and Eastern Indian Ocean which consider  as trade hot-bed.  Though Van Neck said, "Not to rob anyone of their property, but to trade uprightly with all foreign nation”. In fact, free trade gave way to reality that competition meant lower prices. In 1601 there were plenty successful trade companies in Netherlands, hence the cost of buying spices in Indonesia was going up and also there was suddenly tons of pepper in Amsterdam which meant price that could be charged for that pepper was going down, something had to be done. Then in the same year, the representatives of Zeven Provincien body met at Den Haag and all the the provinces accept the single entinty to monopolize the East Indian trade, the VOC was formed. VOC was run by seventeen-member board called Heeren XVII and these director supposedly had control over company was chartered with the power to hire its own people and also to wage war. The reason behind is reasonable which is it took years for communication from the Netherlands to reach the East Indies and another years for company to respond. 

Jalan Letjend Suprapto a major artery in Kota Lama
(Old Town) Semarang, formerly Heerenstraat
possibly named after the Heeren XVII , the VOC board.

VOC basically operated as its own sovereign nation with power to use as much violence as it needed to build and maintain its trading power. VOC also different from a lot of corporations because it was intialy funded with 6,5 million Gulden or 100 million USD in todays money. The capital was expected to fund business ventures for a long time going forward. Its long term business thinking was uniques compared to the funding strategies of EIC and it reflected the advanced financial acumen of the Dutch model generally. Thus in 1648 the Netherlands were in better financial shape than any other countries in Europe which it could seen from its  Interest rate, although its not the only one to measures of financial health and power but they're an important indicator, even today. Dutch businesses could borrow at a rate of 4% annual interest, and its pretty cheap compared to England which applied 10% rate for corporation to borrow money. Dutch debt so much cheaper that they could invest two and a half times as much in pretty much anything than the English could, like an army, a navy and obviously gave Dutch a huge head start over their rivals. 

The nature of Dutch people carrying bonds, was begin long time before as its mostly investing their money in bonds that had been issued for land reclamation project like dykes and windmil that turned land below sea level. With the low interest rate, companies healthy and its gained more and more support from the Dutch people to invest, moreover the company tended to pay people back. This kind of fractional shares allow merchants to bear greater risks by purchasing smaller percentage shares in business ventures.  Dutch business people also enthusiastically invested in future markets, guessing what the price of pepper would be six months or a year from now and they created new financial instruments that could bought and sold and merchants purchased maritime insurance which further lowered their risk. Lower risk means anyone could invest more of your capital until eventually you have completely efficient market. The better Dutch financial instruments among others made they able to seized the lions share of the trading business

The ruins of Uitkijk (lookout), a place for the harbour master arrange the
traffic of Semarang old harbour before its moved into the Nieuw Haven
(new port) in 1880's. At the same place, once stood the first colony of Dutch
people, a fort called Vijfhoek.

Another reason of VOC was so successful was government sponsorship and centralization. Government support chartered by States General and it could count on the Dutch government for financial and military support, while the centralization was depicted in the way VOC had a single Governor General managing operation in Indonesia while British EIC was more like collection of trading posts which each competing each others for a shares of the spices.  Competition may bring down prices for consumers but it also bring down profit for business. 1605 VOC realized that if it really wanted to maximize its profits, it would need a monopoly of the worlds spice trade, and to do that they would need permanent bases in Indonesia.

VOC soon reached Banda Island, the only places at that time where nutmeg is grown, a commodity that once worth more than pieces of gold as its essential for food preservation process that really a big deal during this age of explorations.  The Bandanese welcomed the Dutch because they were more laid back in terms of religion than Portuguese, but Dutch ricked them to signed the exclusieve trade aggrements with Dutch. Its happens under the ruthless militay leader Jan Pieterszoon Coen which Between 1614 and 1618, secured a clove monopoly in the Moluccas and a nutmeg monopoly in the Banda Islands. Coen brought shift in VOC policy away from straightforward trade and toward monopoly of both shipping and production of spices. He also made it clear that this trade needed to be based on military force. Coen not only made VOC dominate trade of the spices but also its production as His plan depopulate the Banda islands to replace their inhabitants with imported slaves and indentured labor under VOC control, taken thousands lives of Bandanese and forced them to flee to another island surround it.

The Former Stadhuis (City Hall) of Batavia, currently serves as Jakarta Historical Museum or also known as Museum Fatahillah. The building that had a similiar shape as Paleis op de Dam in Amsterdam, reminiscing the glory of Batavia as important trade hub in South-East Asia.

The monopoly of spices trade over South East Asia region made the main port of VOC, established at the razed city of Jayakarta in 1619 became the most important port in all of the South East Asia, where spices from Indonesia , Gold and cooper and silver from Japan, Tea and porcelain and Silk from China all passed thorugh to India where they were traded for cotton, which was used to by more Asian goods. Its indeed VOC successfully became money-maker for the Netherlands and its brought this young country into its Golden Age as it depicted in Rembrandt and Ver Meer paintings about all the wealth and finery of Dutch people at that time. As We could see the trace now that all of the Canals and beautiful row houses in Amsterdam, many of them were built in 17th century.

source:
- Capitalism and the Dutch East India Company: Crash Course World History 229

- Banda The Dark Forgotten Trail (2017)