Melaka or Malacca (as it was known to the European's in the 1500's) began its humble existence as a fishing village and grew into the most important entrepot in the region. For years, Malacca flourished under the watchful eyes of the Malay Sultans and the Chinese, until the struggle of power among the Europeans finally led into its slow and painful demise.
The Dutch ruled Malacca from 1641 to 1798 but they were not interested in developing it as a trading centre, placing greater importance to Batavia (Jakarta) in Indonesia as their administrative centre. However they still built their landmark better known as the Stadthuys or Red Building.
Malacca is the third smallest Malaysian state, after Perlis and Penang. It is located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, on the Straits of Malacca. It borders Negeri Sembilan to the north and the state of Johor to the south. The capital is Malacca Town. This historical city centre has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 7 July 2008. Perhaps ironically, it is because of the European remains such as the "Red Buildings" are the reasons why partly it was awarded the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It seems that in-order to keep such a status, very stringent rules and regulations must be followed or we may end up in similar situation as one of China's city which lost its World Heritage City status only after a few years of getting it.
All I can say is that after 3 trips to Malacca this year (within a period of 2 months), I still yearn to go back to this place again soon. It is very different from the streets of Kuala Lumpur in every aspect. It is a very beautiful place to be for a weekend for a little more then an hour and a half of driving from the city of Kuala Lumpur. In my opinion, It does deserve a place as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
