What to See in Malacca - Top Sights and Attractions

Fortress in Malacca City, Malaysia. A Famosa (Malay: Kota A Famosa; "The Famous" in Portuguese, also known as Fortaleza Velha Portuguese: the old fortress, and Dutch: Slavenburgh & De Misericorde was a Portuguese fortress built in Malacca, Malaysia, in 1512. The oldest part of the fortress was a five-storey keep which gave its name to the fortress as a whole. Some time following the Battle of Malacca and the occupation of the city by the Dutch, the keep was destroyed but the outer walls of the fortress were reinforced. However, in 1807 the British destroyed most of the fortress. The Porta de Santiago gateway, and the restored Middelburg Bastion, are the only parts of the fortress that remain today. They are among the oldest European architectural remains in Southeast Asia and the Far East.^[1]

Museum in Malacca City, Malaysia. Cheng Ho Cultural Museum is a museum about the life of Zheng He in Malacca City, Malacca, Malaysia. It was founded and opened in 2006 by Tan Ta Sen, who is also the president of International Zheng He Society.

The museum is the largest in the state; it covers a total floor area of 5,110 m; divided into three levels and occupies 8 units of old shop houses. Some of the shops were built before 1786. A drum and a bell tower are located in front of the museum.

The museum building is believed to sit at the original site of the warehouse complex Guan Chang, built by Zheng He around 600 years ago to temporarily store goods he acquired during his travels. The warehouse complex originally occupied 10 acres of lowland along the northern bank of Malacca River. Five Ming-era wells were unearthed during the museum's construction.

The museum exhibits the life of Zheng He and his world voyage in his fleets. It displays his travel with big pictures of Chinese history. The museum can roughly be divided into several sections, which are: Old Malacca Village, Ship Gallery, Treasure Ship, Antique Gallery and Garden Courtyard. It opens everyday from 9.00 a.m. to 06.30 p.m.^[7]

The Stadthuys is a historical structure situated in the heart of Malacca City, the administrative capital of the state of Malacca, Malaysia in a place known as the Red Square. The Stadhuys is known for its red exterior and nearby red clocktower. It was built by the Dutch in 1650 as the office of the Dutch Governor and Deputy Governor.

When Malacca was handed over to the British in the 19th century, the Malacca Free School was opened in the vicinity of the Stadthuys on 7 December 1826, by missionaries residing in the state, in response to a letter dated 19 April 1825, signed by a J. Humprey, J. W. Overee and A. W. Baumgarten, which called for an English institutional education to be built in Malacca. The school which the British provided free education to residents was eventually renamed Malacca High School in 1871 upon a takeover by the British government, and moved out to its present site at Chan Koon Cheng Road in 1931.

Situated at Laksamana Road, beside the Christ Church, the supposed oldest remaining Dutch historical building in the Orient, is now home to the History and Ethnography Museum. Among the displays in the museum are traditional costumes and artifacts throughout the history of Malacca, which makes it Malacca's premier museum.^[10]

Museum in Malacca City, Malaysia. The Royal Malaysian Customs Department Museum is a museum about Royal Malaysian Customs Department in Malacca City, Malacca, Malaysia.

The museum building was constructed under the British government rule in the early 1890s to store imported trade goods and goods for export. Its role as warehouses changed in 2001 when all of the export and import activities were moved to the ports in Kuala Linggi and Sungai Rambai. A portion of the building was converted to the office of the Malacca State Customs Department from the 1950s, until 2003 upon the completion of Wisma Kastam, before finally converted into the present-day Museum and was opened on 25 August 2006 by Malacca Chief Minister Mohd Ali Rustam.^[11]

Museum in Malacca City, Malaysia. People's Museum is a museum in Malacca City, Malacca, Malaysia, which records and preserves the achievements of Malacca in the development sector and officially opened on 15 April 1992 by then Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. It is located at the ground floor of the former Historical City of Malacca Municipal Council building, originally constructed in the 1960s and believed to be built on top of the ruins of Dutch building, which also houses the Beauty Museum and Kite Museum at the upper floors.

The museum building is divided into three parts, which focuses on the development carried out for the people's benefit and the success attained by the State of Malacca: the Sports Gallery, Community Gallery and UNESCO section. In front of the building, there is a courtyard in which the transportation area is located and was established in collaboration with Malayan Railway, Royal Malaysian Air Force and West Malaysia Department of Civil Aviation. It formed a part of Taman Bunga Merdeka (Independent Flower Park), formerly known as Corronation Park, which was built by the British in 1953 to memorialise the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

The artifacts displayed at the transportation area are:

• A propeller-driven Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer CC Mk 1 aircraft, the "Lang Rajawali", which was the first aircraft acquired by the Royal Malayan Airforce.
• A diesel locomotive named Sungai Lukut 21111, which was built in Japan in 1965, and an accompanying vintage railway carriage.
• A Nubian Thornycrof model of fire engine mobile.
• A replica bullock cart.

Mosque in Malacca City, Malaysia. Kampong Kling Mosque is an old mosque in Malacca City, Malacca, Malaysia. It is situated at Jalan Tukang Emas, also known as "Harmony Street" because of its proximity to the Sri Poyatha Moorthi Temple and Cheng Hoon Teng Temple.

The original structure built by Indian Muslim traders in 1748 was a wooden building and in 1872, it was rebuilt with bricks. The mosque is one of the traditional mosques in Malacca, which still retains its original design. The architectural design of the mosque is a cross between Sumatran, Chinese, Hindu, and the local Malays. The minaret (resembles a pagoda), ablution pool and entrance arch were built at the same time with the main building. The Kampung Kling Mosque is named based on a village which Indian traders dwell called Kampung Kling.

The mosque also has a blend of English and Portuguese glazed tiles, Corinthian columns with symmetrical arches in the main prayer hall, a Victorian chandelier, a wooden pulpit with Hindu and Chinese-style carvings, and Moorish cast iron lamp-posts in the place of ablution for pre-prayer cleansing. The Department of Museums and Antiquities completed conservation works on the mosque in the 1990s.^[16]

Museum in Malacca City, Malaysia. Maritime Museum is a museum about maritime activities in Malacca City, Malacca, Malaysia. It was officially opened to the public by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on 13 June 1994, began with phase one. The phase two of the museum is housed in the old Guthrie building and was opened by State Committee for Tourism, Culture and Environment Chairman Poh Ah Tiam on 23 May 1998.

The museum main exhibits the replica of Flor do Mar with 34 metres high, 36 metres long and 8 metres wide; houses exhibits, artifacts and documents from the golden era of Malacca and shows how political control of Malacca was essential to the establishment of maritime dominance in the region and also displays the trading link of Malacca from the early time through the colonial era until independence.^[18]

Museum in Malacca City, Malaysia. The Malaysia Architecture Museum is a museum in Malacca City, Malacca, Malaysia which exhibits various architectural materials, building models and concepts.

The museum's building is Dutch in style, as it was built during the Dutch period in the 18th century as the residence and administration center of the Dutch officials. During the British Malaya period, the building was used as an administrative office. After the independence of Malaya in 1957, the building became the office of Malacca Water Board. In 2000, the building was restored to its original shape by the department of Museum and Antiquities. The museum was opened in 2004 and it is administered under the Antiquity and Museum Association.

The building consists of two floors, which is divided into:

• Ground floor
  • Introduction
  • Historical Development of Malaysian Architecture
  • Architecture and Beliefs
• Upper floor
  • The Typology
  • Carvings and Motifs
  • Tools and Technology
  • Materials

Mosque in Malacca City, Malaysia. Al-Azim Mosque is the state mosque of Malacca. It is located next to the Malacca General Hospital, the Malacca Al-Quran Museum and the State Heroes Mausoleum and was constructed to replace the former state mosque at Tranquerah Mosque and officially opened on 13 July 1990 by the ninth Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Azlan Shah of Perak.

The state mosque follows typical Malaccan mosque architecture in the Java-Malay style of the archipelago. The interior of the mosque also shows native influence and local Malacca Malay architecture. Aziz Tapa is one of the backpine who did the architecture on the mosque. The mosque has a lecture hall, auditorium, offices, a cafe and a museum. The mosque can accommodate 12,000 worshippers.^[20]

Museum in Malacca City, Malaysia. The Chitty Museum is a museum about the minority Chitty community, which is located within the Chitty Village area in Malacca City, Malacca, Malaysia. It is housed in a traditional Chitty house which has been renovated by PERZIM.

The Chitty had previously desired to run a museum but were stymied by the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Visits in June 2000 by Tan Sri Datuk Seri Haji Mohd Ali Rustam, Chief Minister of Malacca at the time, secured the necessary funding to establish the museum. The construction of the museum was funded by Malacca State Government and completed in September 2002. It was constructed by Malacca Museum Corporation (PERZIM). The museum was opened on 5 August 2003 to introduce the culture of Chitty community.

The museum exhibits all of the information regarding Chitty community. It houses a collection of artifacts and archives of the daily life of Chitty people, ranging from history, temple, attire, trustee, food, culture, religious affairs etc.^[22]

Museum. Beauty Museum or Museum of Enduring Beauty is a museum about beauty standards and concepts in Malacca City, Malacca, Malaysia, which was opened in 1996. It occupies the top floor of the former Historical City Municipal Council building, originally constructed in the 1960s and believed to be built on top of the ruins of Dutch building, which also houses the People's Museum and Kite Museum at the ground and the upper floor respectively.

The museum exhibits the standard of beauty since ancient until modern times and different concepts of beauty as practiced by different cultures. Among those different beauty concepts are skin tattooing, lip stretching by round discs insertion, tooth feeling, sacrification, head molding into oval shapes and feet growth restricting. It opens everyday from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.^[25]

Museum in Malacca City, Malaysia. Melaka Toy Museum is a private museum about toy collections in Bukit Baru, Malacca, Malaysia. It is the second toy museum opened in Malaysia after Penang Toy Museum.

The museum was originally established along Jonker Walk in 2009. However, due to its less strategic location at the back of a building and high rental cost, it was then moved to its current location in a single-story bungalow building at Bukit Baru in October 2011.

The museum displays the Hulk figure at its rooftop over the main entrance, and inside, it displays contemporary movie toy figures and old vintage toys. Over 10,000 objects are included from franchises such as Star Wars, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Lord of the Rings, Batman, X-Men, Spider-Man, Iron Man, Bruce Lee, Looney Tunes, The Smurfs, Godzilla, Ultraman, Hamtaro, Pokémon, and Doraemon. While some of the toys were purchased directly from local stores in Malacca and Kuala Lumpur, others were bought online or donated by visitors.^[27]

Museum. Straits Chinese Jewellery Museum is a museum which displays the furniture and jewellery of the Peranakan culture in Malacca City, Malacca, Malaysia. It was opened in October 2012 and housed in a heritage house building that used to be a house of a prominent Peranakan Chinese. The house consists of segments such as living room, two open-space courtyards and dining room.

Collections in the museum are more than 30 years old, ranging from brooches, shoes and porcelain to rings, which are influenced by Chinese design and motifs and created by Chinese, Indian and Sri Lankan craftsmen. Besides the various types of jewellery which numbers up to 400, the museum also houses the jewellery making equipment and the lifestyle gallery. The museum opens everyday from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. on weekdays and to 6 p.m. on weekends.^[29]

Museum in Malacca City, Malaysia. The History and Ethnography Museum is a museum in Malacca City, Malacca, Malaysia. It is located inside the Stadthuys building, built during the Dutch Malacca administration period in 1886. The historical section of the museum displays the history of Malacca from its establishment in 1400 until 1957, the year Malaya gained independence, while the ethnography section of the museum portrays the lifestyle and culture of various communities and sub-communities of Malacca including the Malays, the Chinese, the Indians, the Portuguese, the Baba and Nyonya, the Chetti and Chitty communities. Other exhibits include items used in traditional wedding ceremonies, kitchen utensils, musical instruments and collections of ancient porcelain ware, weapons, stamps and ancient currencies.^[30]

Museum. Malacca Stamp Museum is a postal museum in Malacca City, Malacca, Malaysia. It is housed in a building that was constructed using local materials and has the shape and characteristics of western architecture.

The museum building was originally used as the residence for Dutch dignitaries living in Malacca until the end of World War II after which the building was abandoned. On 19 March 1954, G.E.W Wisdom, the British Resident Commissioner in Malacca, turned the building into the Malacca State Museum, until it was moved to Stadthuys in 1982. The building was also once occupied by the Malacca Islamic Foundation and the Enforcement Unit of the Malacca Municipal Council. In 2004, the building was restored by the Department of Museum and Antiquity and handed over to the Malacca State Government. In 2007, the state government, in cooperation with Pos Malaysia, decided to set up the Postal Museum in the building.^[33]