The fort at Batavia

After a long career with the VOC in Asia, in December 1629 Pieter van den Broecke was permitted to return to the Netherlands. He sailed from Batavia, where by then the Dutch had established a fortress and placed the capital of the VOC’s activities. Van den Broecke was given command of a fleet of 9 ships that sailed back to the Dutch Republic. This image depicts the fortress of Batavia and its surrounding rivers and forests. Behind the fort it depicts the town of Batavia, formerly Jacatra before the Dutch conquest.