CEphoto, Uwe Aranas / CC BY-SA 3.0
Melaka has a new souvenir worth looking out for. A batik design called Malakka Dutch Batik, blending tulip and kesidang flower motifs, was launched at Stadthuys in Banda Hilir to mark a decade of the Malakka Dutch Festival @ Melaka.
What the design means
The batik was created by designer Karl Ho, pairing two flowers that each stand for one side of the story. The tulip represents the Netherlands, while the kesidang flower represents Melaka’s own identity. Chief Minister Datuk Seri Utama Ab Rauf Yusoh said the design looks simple but carries deeper meaning, symbolising a friendship built on culture, mutual respect, and shared heritage between Melaka and the Netherlands.
The launch was one of two special ceremonies held for this year’s Malakka Dutch Festival, which runs to 12 events in total across its tenth edition. Also present at the ceremony were the state Tourism, Heritage, Arts and Culture Exco Datuk Wira Abdul Razak Abdul Rahman, Dutch Ambassador to Malaysia Jacques Werner, and leadership from Melaka’s Tourism Promotion Board.
Why this matters for visitors
Stadthuys is already one of the most photographed buildings in Melaka’s old town, and this new batik gives visitors another reason to pay attention to it. State tourism officials have flagged the design as a potential new tourism product, with talk of wider promotion still to come.
If you are planning a heritage walk around the Red Square, the Dutch-Melaka connection is worth spending a few extra minutes on. Between the Stadthuys facade, Christ Church next door, and now a batik pattern that ties the two nations together, Banda Hilir keeps finding new layers to its centuries-old Dutch chapter. Pair it with a stroll along the river on the Melaka River Cruise to see the same colonial waterfront from the water.
