Stadthuys
Stadthuys
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This 17th-century building was the seat of the Dutch administration and now houses a history museum.
Duration: < 1 hour
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
788 reviews
Excellent
223
Very good
377
Average
165
Poor
16
Terrible
7
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Simon C
Ashtead, UK792 contributions
May 2024 • Solo
This is the old Dutch administration building now refurbished and houses an excellent exhibition on the origins and growth of Melacka.
Set over two stories, this is a good way to learn the history in about an hour. The only gripe was, yet again, the discriminatory pricing against foreign tourists who pay double the rate of Malaysians.
Set over two stories, this is a good way to learn the history in about an hour. The only gripe was, yet again, the discriminatory pricing against foreign tourists who pay double the rate of Malaysians.
Written 7 May 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Peter Fang
Melaka, Malaysia6 contributions
Jan 2024 • Friends
Great place to learn history of Melaka, the place where so many pivotal moment of South Asian history happended. There are more than one museum inside the beautiful ex-colonial building. The price is quite cheap but some of the exhibits are in very poor conditions and dusty
Written 24 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Haytham Abu Firas
Qatar21,540 contributions
Sept 2023 • Friends
The Stadthuys meaning city hall is a historical structure situated in the heart of Malacca City, Malacca, Malaysia in a place known as the Red Square. The Stadhuys is known for its red exterior and nearby red clocktower. It was built by the Dutch in 1650 as the office of the Dutch Governor.
Written 26 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
marftrip
Kernersville, NC339 contributions
Jan 2024 • Solo
As a historian, it pains me to criticize a museum, but I left feeling I’d wasted my time and money. As an overall point, being a UNESCO designated city implies certain expectations, including a level of quality. This museum is like something from the 1950s and desperately needs a major overhaul.
The layout and organization of the exhibits is confusing, and when I asked staff which way to continue, I was sent into a completely different section. There’s no hard copy guide, so knowledgeable staff would be helpful. The info presented is often repetitive, but randomly. I followed the few signs that said exit - which takes you out the back where you can walk down to the cafe - but that route was blocked off for an event, so I had to go back up and through the museum. All of this is confusing and distracts from the content.
To make things worse, I stopped on my way out to read the info on preservation of the structure as I work in that at home. Immediately, four staff members behind me started yelling loudly at each other, so loud I could not read! I turned around and looked at them, yet instead of acknowledging they were disturbing the paying visitors, another staff member joined the argument and they screamed louder. This behavior was unprofessional and unacceptable.
Judging by the reviews of this museum and others, the powers that be in Melaka seem to value quantity over quality. The goal seems to be advertising many museums (and Instagram spots), not the quality of the museums. Least I sound harsh, I’ve also just visited museums/house museums in George Town and KL, and left positive reviews for all. AND went right around the corner to the Malaysian Architectural Museum, which is excellent. This museum really has to move into the 21st century… and better train their staff.
The layout and organization of the exhibits is confusing, and when I asked staff which way to continue, I was sent into a completely different section. There’s no hard copy guide, so knowledgeable staff would be helpful. The info presented is often repetitive, but randomly. I followed the few signs that said exit - which takes you out the back where you can walk down to the cafe - but that route was blocked off for an event, so I had to go back up and through the museum. All of this is confusing and distracts from the content.
To make things worse, I stopped on my way out to read the info on preservation of the structure as I work in that at home. Immediately, four staff members behind me started yelling loudly at each other, so loud I could not read! I turned around and looked at them, yet instead of acknowledging they were disturbing the paying visitors, another staff member joined the argument and they screamed louder. This behavior was unprofessional and unacceptable.
Judging by the reviews of this museum and others, the powers that be in Melaka seem to value quantity over quality. The goal seems to be advertising many museums (and Instagram spots), not the quality of the museums. Least I sound harsh, I’ve also just visited museums/house museums in George Town and KL, and left positive reviews for all. AND went right around the corner to the Malaysian Architectural Museum, which is excellent. This museum really has to move into the 21st century… and better train their staff.
Written 2 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
wang2383
Longjing, Taichung72,194 contributions
Jul 2023
The Red House is so named because the entire house is red. The Red House was built by the Dutch colonial rulers from 1641 to 1660. It was originally the official residence of the Dutch capital. It was later planned to be the Malacca History Museum, Humanities Museum and Literature Museum. The Red House is also considered the oldest in the East. Dutch architecture.
Written 12 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Blue Heeler
Brisbane, Australia777 contributions
Jan 2023 • Business
Walked around for a day at the Red Square locations and visited all the various sites. The standout was this museum located next to Christ Church. It has an interesting range of artifacts and displays covering the known history of Malacca. Small coffee shop is inside for you to take a break. We felt this was the best thing to visit during our stay in the city.
Written 20 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
macedonboy
Glasgow, UK186,155 contributions
Feb 2020
The Stadthuys is the old city hall during the Dutch Colonial period, but is now both a tourist attraction and a museum. Like much of Dutch Square, this building is also painted red. Most people seem content to come to the square just to get their photograph taken and not so many visit Stadthuys Museum Complex.
The Stadthuys Museum is one of five museums inside the complex and is a history museum of Malaysia up to present day with sections dedicated to pre-colonial times through the rules of the Portuguese, Dutch, British and Japanese. The exhibits are a bit of a mixed bag. The majority of the exhibits are of good quality with well written descriptions. The museum also presents history using paintings which are okay, but the description accompanying the paintings feel like they’ve been written by a secondary school student.
My favourite part of the museum is on the 2nd floor, called the Cheng Ho Gallery which details the exploits of the famous mariner of the 15th century.
The Stadthuys Museum is one of five museums inside the complex and is a history museum of Malaysia up to present day with sections dedicated to pre-colonial times through the rules of the Portuguese, Dutch, British and Japanese. The exhibits are a bit of a mixed bag. The majority of the exhibits are of good quality with well written descriptions. The museum also presents history using paintings which are okay, but the description accompanying the paintings feel like they’ve been written by a secondary school student.
My favourite part of the museum is on the 2nd floor, called the Cheng Ho Gallery which details the exploits of the famous mariner of the 15th century.
Written 4 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Angela M
West Sussex, UK109 contributions
Feb 2020
The old Dutch City Hall now houses a museum of Melaka's history, ethnography and literature, tracing the town's colonial and Malay past. Personally I found the presentation of the information rather dull - lots of depictions of historical events with detailed descriptions mostly at waist level, often in fairly dark rooms. There was nothing to guide the visitor through the chronological sequence of events, i.e. whereabouts to begin and how logically to proceed from room to room. I felt that a fresh look was needed as to how the exhibition was curated - it all seemed rather old-fashioned to me. However, if you're really into history then it's definitely worth a visit. There's a lot of fascinating information there just, for me anyway, poorly presented.
Written 15 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bryon B
Olympia, Washington, United States54 contributions
Feb 2020
You will probably stumble onto Dutch Square while in the old city of Melaka. It seems to be the place to be. And that's part of the appeal. I recommend going there at night and during the day. At night it's full of garishly lit tuk tuks blaring loud music carrying smiling tourist. It seems like everyone is having a great time. In the day it's still full of people, but it's less hectic. There are a lot of museums in the area that are worth ducking into to learn more about the history of Melaka. And the buildings are beautiful to look at. It's a worthwhile place to visit.
Written 8 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dale S
15 contributions
Jan 2020
The Stadthuys is home to a history and ethnography museum, spread out over two floors. The bottom floor is devoted to the Malay culture and its exhibits feature artifacts, weapons, dress, and daily life. Upstairs are rooms dedicated to each of the period of Melaka's rich history, beginning with the Sultanate and extending through the Japanese occupation. Actually, there is also a third floor with an exhibit dedicated to Cheng Ho, but it pales in comparison to the nearby Cheng-Ho Cultural Museum. If you want a time capsule of Melakan history and an introduction to Malay culture, this is the place to go
Written 5 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi, I'm going to melaka with my boyfriend this coming Monday. It's my first time to go to melaka. What hotel near to this place?
Written 22 February 2018
I like The Majestic Malacca
Written 22 February 2018
Next week I will visit Melaka for half day. Some places that I want to visit are red building, river cruise, masjid selat melaka, menara taming sari, and jonker street. I will take a bus from KL at 10:30 am and back at 8:30 pm. I will appreciate if you guys help me to make itinerary. Thanks a lot!
Written 4 December 2016
After taking your lunch upon reaching Melaka, I suggest you take the river cruise first near the Stadhuys. Then you take a short taxi ride to Masjid Selat Melaka. After that, you can drop by Menara Taming Sari. A short walk away you will reach Stadhuys (red building). Jonker Street is just over the bridge near the Stadhuys. Do go on weekends foe the crowd & fun in Jonker Street.
Written 5 December 2016
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