Independence Square (Kuala Lumpur)
Selangor Club |
Independence Square (
History
In the early days of Kuala Lumpur, the Chinese and Malay communities settled along the east bank of the
In 1897, the government offices were relocated from Bukit Aman to the
As the Sultan Abdul Samad Building was designed and its construction began before Kuala Lumpur became the capital of the Federated Malay States, it became inadequate for the use of a burgeoning bureaucracy when it was made the capital. Many buildings were then constructed near to the building and also around the Padang. A printing office was constructed in 1899 on the southwest corner of the Padang, the town hall to the northeast in 1904, the FMS Railway offices to the southeast in 1905, the General Post Office south of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building in 1907, the Survey Department building in 1910 and the Supreme Court in 1915 in the northeast area.[6]
On the midnight of 30 August 1957, the British flag was lowered and the Malayan flag was raised for the first time at the Padang, an event watched by a large number of people there.
As the Padang is located in front of the government offices, it is used for many national and civic events. The Padang was once leased to the
The 'Padang' was renamed 'Dataran Merdeka' or Independence Square in October 1989.
On 31 August 2007,
Notable buildings and features
A 95-metre flagpole, one of the tallest in the world, is located at the southern end of the square.[11] A flat, round black marble plaque marks the location where the Malayan flag was raised for the first time. Near the flagpole at the corner of the Padang is a fountain, the Cop's Fountain, built in 1897 as a memorial to Steve Harper, a popular police inspector.[12] A car park and retail area, the Plaza Putra which was later renamed Plaza Dataran Merdeka, was built beneath the Independence Square; however, the location had been affected by flooding.[13]
Surrounding the square are many buildings of historical interest. Just beside the square is the
Activities
Independence Square is the usual venue for the annual
Transportation
The square is accessible within walking distance west of
Gallery
See also
- Merdeka Square, Jakarta
- Medan Pasar
- Occupy Dataran
- Putra Square
References
- ^ ISBN 978-967-908-028-5.
- ^ "Sultan Abdul Samad Building". Dewan Budaya USM. Pusat Pengajian Seni, Universiti Sains Malaysia. Archived from the original on 11 July 2015. Retrieved 25 December 2016.
- ISBN 9789814435390.
- JSTOR 41493197.
- ^ a b "Dataran Merdeka". welcome-kl.com. Archived from the original on 21 July 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
- ISBN 9789679948158.
- ^ ISBN 9789814435390.
- ^ a b c "Selangor Club field to become a park". The Straits Times. 11 November 1987. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
- ^ Debbie Chan (31 August 2006). "So closely linked to birth of a nation" (PDF). The Star. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 January 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2007.
- ^ BBC NEWS, Malaysia marks 50 years as nation
- ^ "Dataran Merdeka Flagpole". SkyscraperPage. Retrieved 30 March 2006.
- ISBN 978-9679948158.
- ^ "Plaza Dataran Merdeka, neither dead nor alive". Astro Awani. 7 September 2014.
- ^ "KL Sentral". KL Sentral. Retrieved 15 July 2012.