Christ Church, Melaka (6♠)

Christ Church  built by the Dutch when they took possession of Malacca from the Portuguese, it's one of Malacca’s most defining structures. Situated along Jalan Gereja (also known as Church Street) it is an instantly recognizable brick-red building with a huge white cross at the top. Sitting opposite the Stadhuys, Christ Church was built in 1753 to celebrate a century of Dutch occupation. The interior of the cathedral has 200 year-old handmade pews, decorative fanlights and plaques that honour Dutch soldiers and locals.

Christ Church is located near to Malacca’s Chinatown centre. Across the bridge from the Jonker Street, it is one of the most popular sightseeing attractions in the Stadthuys area. A lot of colourful trishaws (You can pay to ride it) and directly opposite is the Historical Museum and Ethnographical Museum.

The area is stepped in Baba Nyonya culture with opulent ‘Baba merchants’ houses and elegantly-conserved Nyonya restaurants that line the constricted roads. Christ Church is small – once inside, right beside the front doors there is a long table with brochures and religious paraphernalia for sale set up. There are about ten rows of pews before the main altar and the whole place has old light fixtures and plenty of worn-but-well-kept tiles.

Besides its commemorative purpose, Christ Church was constructed due to the fact that when the Dutch first conquered Malacca, they had no place of worship other than St. Paul’s Church, a small chapel built on St. Paul Hill. 

荷兰红屋

荷兰红屋坐落于马六甲河畔，建于1641至1660年间，是东南亚最古老的荷兰建筑物。原为教堂，后改为市政府，马六甲博物馆，藏有马来、葡萄牙、荷兰和英国的历史文物。

它建于17世纪，是东南亚地区现存最古老的荷兰式建筑物。300多年来，它一直是政府机关所在地，直至1980年才改为马六甲博物馆。荷兰式惹兰叻参红屋有厚厚的红砖墙，笨重的硬木门，门前是宽阔的石级。馆内保留了马六甲各个时期的历史遗物，包括荷兰古代兵器，葡萄牙人16世纪以来的服装，马来人婚嫁服饰，金、银、珠宝手工艺品以及在马六甲港口停泊的各类古代船只的图片等。馆内还收藏有稀有的古代钱币和邮票。

荷兰红屋是荷兰殖民地时期所遗留至今的红色建筑物，在大约1650年期间由荷兰人所建立。是马六甲博物馆，藏有马六甲、葡萄牙、荷兰和英国的历史文物，同时也是东南亚最古老的荷兰建筑物。它坐落在圣保罗山并占地49,200平方米。18世纪初时它曾是荷兰总督官邸并身兼为荷兰行政中心直到1824年。在英国殖民马六甲时期，它也曾被英国人当为行政中心。这行政中心的角色直到1979年才被卸下并改为马六甲博物馆。荷兰红屋在18世纪前本是白色，在1820年才被换成红色直到现今。

虽然在英国殖民时期，英国政府曾进行多次翻修，不过荷兰的建筑艺术和设计如荷兰式厚砖墙、大窗户和门还是被保留着原貌。唯一曾被改建过的是它那地下的排水系统而已。红屋的最顶层是昔日总督的卧室，这广阔的卧室里面充满中国神话的装饰和艺术。在1985年马来西亚政府对红屋进行文物保护工程。由公共工程局负责并费时4年完成维修。许多奇怪和古董在工程期间被找到，这包括了一口由海石所建的井。同时在红屋外部的地下也找到一口古井。

厚厚的红色砖墙，极为笨重的硬质木门，宽阔的石质台阶，红屋的建筑风格无疑给很多游客留下了相当深刻的印象。传说建造红屋的红色砖块都是当时的荷兰殖民政府专程从荷兰运来的。红墙白窗，色彩明丽，当你漫步在马六甲河畔时，这里绝对是值得一去的地方，而鼎鼎大名的“马六甲红”据传就是引这片红色而来，这片红色并没有因为历史而褪淡，这片红色依然那么耀眼，那么鲜艳。