Portuguese Fort - One Proof of The Colonial and History Site in Amurang
Portuguese Fort is located in Amurang, the capital of South Minahasa District, a district in the southern province of North Sulawesi. Amurang has a bay that has historical traces where various nations of the world had visited it at that time.
Amurang is derived from the word "Amoer" which is the name of a river in Manchuria area. Long time ago, this river was crowded traversed the Portuguese and Spanish when trade to China and it became an important route for trade. When the Portuguese set foot in North Sulawesi in about the 1500s, they saw the natural wealth in the South region in the form of spices. And be where the spice was crowded with trading activities of different nationalities. By the Portuguese, they named the area as "Amoer". Then the arrival of the Dutch said the word "Amoer" with their dialect, "Amoerlang" and until now,the area has been called with the "Amurang".
Portuguese Fort in Amurang can be found in the Uwuran One Village, Amurang District. It is easy to reach, because it's directly beside Amurang Market. It takes approximately one hour by car from Manado to reach the location of this fort. This fort has been seen a sturdy building stone D-shaped half-circles, approximately three meters tall. This building is just the remainder of the overall building formerly fortress covers an area of three hectares. Now the area of Portuguese Fort is left about 25 x 50 meters which has been fenced off by the local government of South Minahasa.
Long time ago, Portuguese built this fortress at that time to protect their trading activities in Amurang of the threat of pirates. In 1943, during World War II, the fort was attacked severely by the allied forces, leaving only what can be seen today. This fort was originally built on the waterfront just to accommodate the soldiers and clergy Portuguese. But because of its strategic location, this fort became the center of Portuguese conquest Minahasa region to another.
When intact, the fort was equipped with cannon gun facing directly toward the Amurang Bay. There are also several ancillary buildings, such as barracks, warehouses, military facilities and even a chapel (small church). In the 1700s, the Dutch controlled this fortress and their presence influenced the history of Minahasa.
Portuguese Fort in Amurang can serve as a long journey of history traces of the Minahasa. Some history traces of it, besides evident from the presence of the Citadel, could also be found from various relics of European citizens often encountered when digging.
Unfortunately, some of the cannons in this Portuguese fort are now missing. According to residents in the vicinity of the fort, there were six cannon in this fort. But the guns were later transferred by the authorities at that time, because there were no laws governing of the antiquities and historical objects.
Article Source: travel.kompas.com
