by Diana Pardamean | Sep 20, 2014 | Destinations, History & Literature, Literature, Sumatra, West Sumatra
Padang is the economic centre West Sumatra. During colonial times Padang harbour was called Emmahaven, nowadays named Teluk Bayur. Up to approximately 1780 the most important trade product was gold, originating from the gold mines in the region. When the mines were...
by Diana Pardamean | Sep 5, 2014 | History & Literature, Literature
In the early days it was the privilege of kings to ride an elephant. Like king Iskandar Muda (1607-1636) of Aceh about whom Augustin de Beaulieu wrote in 1621: ‘The king of Aceh is stronger than his neighbours on the seas. The king gives a name to each elephant,...
by Diana Pardamean | Aug 5, 2014 | History & Literature, Literature
Tropic fever In the nineteen thirties the Hungarian, Laszlo Szekely (1892-1946) returned from Medan to Budapest and wrote the novel Tropic Fever. This highly autobiographical story takes place on the east coast of Sumatra between 1908 and 1918, which was the...
by Diana Pardamean | Jul 5, 2014 | History & Literature, Literature
The Voyage of Harm Kamerlingh Onnes Illustrated Letters from the East ‘De Reis van Harm Kamerlingh Onnes’ The Voyage of Harm Kamerlingh Onnes edited by Dirk A. Buiskool Winner of the Linschoten Award 1999 for a publication in the field of travel history...
by Diana Pardamean | May 24, 2014 | Destinations, History & Literature, Literature, North Sumatra, Sumatra
Pematang Siantar is the capital of Simalungun, a large cultural area where before the war a number of plantation companies originating from different part of the world were located, like the Handels Vereeniging Amsterdam, the German Marihat Gemeinschaft and the...
by Diana Pardamean | Apr 24, 2014 | History & Literature, Literature
Volcanic pearl The region around Lake Toba is one of the most beautiful areas of Sumatra. Lake Toba itself was officially put on the map around 1850. In Marsden’s ‘History of Sumatra’ dating from 1811, we read: ‘It is said that there is a huge...
