This postcard shows Malacca’s Town Square, which is also known as the Dutch Square or Red Square, due to the surrounding red buildings. The largest building in the Square is Stadthuys (‘town hall’ in Dutch), which was constructed in the 1650s and served as the Dutch administrative centre and the Dutch Governor’s residence. Next to Stadthuys stands the Christ Church, which was formerly the Dutch Reformed Church of Malacca before being re-consecrated and renamed in 1838. Another significant structure in the Square is the clock tower. Its foundations were first built by Straits Chinese merchant Tan Beng Swee, and completed in 1886 by his son Tan Jiak Kim.
