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Medan sends team to Netherlands to resolve ownership dispute over ‘Warenhuis’ historic site
Known as Warenhuis, a historic two-story building located on Jl. Ahmad Yani VII in Medan is believed to have been the first large indoor market in the city, dating back more than a century.
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Known as Warenhuis, a historic two-story building located on Jl. Ahmad Yani VII in Medan is believed to have been the first large indoor market in the city, dating back more than a century. (kompas.com/Mei Leandha Rosyanti)
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orth Sumatra authorities have dispatched a team to the Netherlands in an attempt to resolve an ownership dispute over a historic building in Medan amid the city administration’s efforts to boost its old town tourism.
Known as Warenhuis, the two-story building located on Jl. Ahmad Yani VII is believed to have been the first large indoor market in the city, dating back more than a century.
Warenhuis was designed by a German architect and constructed in 1916. The building has long been managed by members of the public, but the local administration sought to take over the management to turn it into a tourist attraction.
The city’s plan, however, has been stalled as a family has claimed ownership of the building.
North Sumatra Police chief Insp. Gen. Agus Andrianto said that a team tasked to trace the history of Warenhuis’ ownership departed on Saturday for the Netherlands, with the mission of finding the original blueprints of Medan's urban development during the Dutch colonial era.
Comprising police investigators, representatives from the Medan city administration and the National Archive Agency, the team was given a week to work and gather all relevant documents related to the matter, he said.
“The team is on a mission to help the city rescue an asset, namely a historic building from the Dutch colonial era that was not returned to the state but instead has been managed by the public,” Agus said.
