Fort Amsterdam (Hila)
Benteng Amsterdam
A white Dutch East India Company watchtower on the north coast of the Leitimur Peninsula, once a clove-trade stronghold where the naturalist Rumphius worked.
Fort Amsterdam lies by the sea in Hila village on the north coast of Ambon Island. From the 1630s the Dutch East India Company built it on the site of an earlier Portuguese trading post to control the local clove trade. Its core is a three-storey white tower. Visitors can climb to the top for views over the sea and toward Seram Island, and remnants of the walls surround it. The famous naturalist Rumphius once lived and worked here. The fort is about 40 kilometers from the city, roughly an hour's drive, and can be visited together with the nearby Wapauwe Old Mosque. Admission is a small donation.
Opening hours
Open daytime
Nearby sights
- Wapauwe Old Mosque
- Ambon Bay Muck Diving
- Merah Putih Bridge
- Ambon War Cemetery
- Siwalima Museum
- Fort Victoria
- World Peace Gong
- Martha Christina Tiahahu Monument