Jatinegara

Jatinegara (originally known as Meester Cornelis or Meester/Mester for short) is one of the districts (Indonesian: kecamatan) of the administrative city of East Jakarta, Indonesia. The name also refers to the larger, historic area of the colonial town of Meester Cornelis. Established in the 17th century, Jatinegara is one of the oldest areas in Jakarta, and contains a number of buildings from the colonial period.

The area is historically known for its cosmopolitan character, dominated formerly by indigenous Christians from the so-called Outer Islands, but also with sizeable Chinese and Arab communities (Vreemde Oosterlingen or 'foreign orientals'). Jatinegara railway station, one of the biggest railway stations in Jakarta, is located on the boundary between the districts of Jatinegara and Matraman.

Another Jatinegara, an administrative village in Cakung, has no known historic connection to Jatinegara in Jakarta.

The name Jatinegara is derived from Jatina Nagara, Sundanese for "the might of the state", symbolizing the resistance of the princes of Banten in their fight against the Dutch East India Company. Local lore claims that, sometime in the 17th century, Jatinegara became home to a settlement of Bantenese princes and their followers.

During the Dutch colonial period, the area was renamed Meester Cornelis, after Cornelis Senen. He was one of the most celebrated Malay-speaking (Calvinist) preachers and schoolmasters of his time. He was the son of an indigenous Christian who had been resettled by the Company in Lontor, one of the (Banda Islands). In 1656, Senen was granted a private estate (particuliere land) to the east of Ciliwung, with total area of 5 square kilometers, about 12 km southeast of the fort of Batavia. As a landlord (Landheer), he was addressed by the old Dutch honorific Meester or master. The land was harvested for timber and used mainly for agriculture. Cornelis Senen died in 1661, and gave his name to his old estate until it was renamed after Indonesian independence.

During the 18th century, Meester Cornelis was a military district with residential areas, wide roads, and a semi-rural character. A buffalo market, known for its "Thursday Market", was built in the vicinity in 1706. A fort was built in 1734. The commander of the fort established entertainment facilities around the fort, including a playhouse. In 1746, an encampment for soldiers with malaria was built in this area because of its higher altitude and drier air.

An artillery school was established in 1805. In 1810, the Napoleonic Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies, Herman Willem Daendels (1762–1818) designated Meester Cornelis as Batavia's line of defence against a possible, British attack. The defence system was centered on the Meester Cornelis fort. The British attacked in 1811, won and installed a temporary British administration in the Dutch East Indies. In 1820, under the newly restored Dutch government, the fort was transformed into a prison.

Meester Cornelis Military School was opened in 1852 and closed in 1892. While not the first military school in the Dutch East Indies, it was certainly the most successful. One third of the students were born in the colony; the majority came from the Netherlands; and one tenth were other Europeans, mostly from Germany. Most students were from the middle class. The school was later closed down because of financial problems: only one in three students graduated, so the costs per student were unacceptably high.