Overview
The street was the shopping address of a planned hill capital: the Dutch intended to move the colonial government here from Batavia, and the boulevards, the deco and the cool air are what came of it before the war ended the plan. Several original facades survive intact, including the café that traded as Maison Bogerijen and still occupies its corner. Gedung Merdeka, where the 1955 Asian-African Conference was held, stands one block south.
Highlights
Walk it on a Saturday evening when it is pedestrianised and the street musicians come out. The deco is at first-floor level, so look up — the ground floors have been refitted many times over. Combine it with the Asia-Africa Conference Museum in Gedung Merdeka, which is free and takes half an hour.