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Banda Islands


This grand, atmospheric yet empty 1820s mansion gives a sense of the scale of the Dutch enterprise in the Banda Islands. Once the residence of the colonial governors, it's now largely neglected. You can find 19th-century plaques and a bust of Willem III in the shady courtyard. The doors at the back of the building are sometimes open, revealing a tiled floor and a sole chandelier inside.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Banda Islands attractions

1. Hatta’s House

0.1 MILES

Of three early-20th-century ‘exile houses’ in Banda, Mohammed Hatta’s house is the most appealing. It’s partly furnished and photos of the dissident, his…

2. Schelling House

0.12 MILES

This massive columned house, owned by the daughter of the last Banda king, has a leafy courtyard, high ceilings and, in the the master bathroom, a stone…

3. Benteng Nassau

0.2 MILES

Quietly crumbling among tropical foliage, Nassau was the scene of the Banda Massacre, the greatest obscenity in the violent history of Dutch Banda. The…

4. Benteng Belgica

0.21 MILES

A classic star fort, the Unesco-nominated Benteng Belgica was built on the hill above Benteng Nassau in 1611, when it became apparent the lower bastion…

5. Dutch Church

0.29 MILES

This restored 1852 Dutch church with a portico of four chubby columns is open for services. Inside are a decorative bell-clock and wooden pews, as well as…

6. Rumah Budaya

0.3 MILES

Bandaneira’s little museum displays colonial artefacts including coins, silverware, crockery, pipes, swords and flintlock pistols and muskets. There's…

7. Sun Tien Kong Chinese Temple

0.31 MILES

There are still a few Chinese families living on Bandaneira and the 300-year-old Sun Tien Kong Temple is testament to the ancient Chinese involvement in…

8. Mesjid Hatta-Syahrir

0.32 MILES

Behind the main port are the eye-catching minarets of the Mesjid Hatta-Syahrir. Some locals claim this was converted into a mosque from the mansion that…