Banjarmasin (ANTARA) - Early in the morning, workers busy with brooms and cleaning tools in the Dutch Rest House in Sultan Adam Public Forest Park (Tahura), Mandiangin Timur Village, Banjar District, South Kalimantan.
Chirping of birds and cicadas rang out their melodious sounds at an altitude of 450 meters above sea level, amidst the tranquil atmosphere of a forested area far from dense settlements.
The surrounding colonial guest house is a natural landscape with expansive hills rich with millions of flora and fauna.
A sturdy man pulls out overgrown grass and sweeps the courtyard of the colonial building, then disposing it in a nearby trash bin.
Every day, the stocky, tall, and slender man repeats the same activity: cleaning and maintaining the environment of the Dutch guesthouse.
While inside, several women are busy with the furnishings within the ancient building. Arranging items, dusting off the colonial photographs hanging on the wall. The walls of the building are very sturdy, painted with varnish for a beautiful appearance.
One of the guards serves visitors in a room designed to market the products from local MSMEs. The guesthouse helps the local residents to sell their products to guests from outside.
They are local villagers who are empowered by the local government to care for this historic site.
This ancient colonial building was used by Dutch officials as a rest area from 1939 to 1942.
The structure, measuring approximately ten to twenty meters in length and width, features walls and a roof made of sturdy ironwood, expected to last for hundreds of years.
It is originally designed into several parts: a living room, bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom. The foundation walls are constructed of a mixture of andesite stone, Portland cement, and gravel.
About 10 meters down, there's a garage used by Dutch officials to park their cars. It's about five meters long and three meters wide. Down about 50 meters, there's a swimming pool and tennis court.
This building was designed by A.W. Rynders in 1939, who was registered as an architect in the Zuit En Oost Borneo region.
"Only the foundation walls and a few other parts of this guesthouse remained. Then we engaged historical researchers from Lambung Mangkurat University to restore the building's structure to its original appearance during the colonial era of the Borneo Government," said Fathimatuzzahra, Head of the South Kalimantan Forestry Office.
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Borneo (Kalimantan) Government
As a resting place for Dutch officials, it was inaugurated on February 26, 1939, by the Borneo Government, which was then led by Dr Bauke Jan (BJ) Haga from 1938 to 1942.
However, in 1943 Japan took control of the land of Borneo causing many Dutch East Indies government officials to leave this land.
In the same year, the Japanese Army beheaded colonial leader Dr BJ Haga at Fort Tatas, Banjarmasin.
Since then, the rest house had been unused, including the garage, which was used to park vehicles while transporting building materials. The garage still maintains its original form, with no structural changes.
Meratus Geopark Tourism
Over time, the Dutch Rest House was designated as one of the 54 sites in the Meratus Geopark and was recognized by the Indonesian National Geopark Committee as a National Geopark in 2018.
Afterwards, the Provincial Government of South Kalimantan implemented various enhancements following the designation.
The geopark, which covers an area of ​​approximately 3,645.01 km2, has 54 sites spread along four routes: west, north, east, and south.
These routes represent a significant connection to the origins of the Meratus Mountains, marked by various sites that remain visible to the naked eye to this day.
One of the signs is named Pesanggrahan Belanda Mandiangin Tahura Sultan Adam or the Dutch Rest House of Mandiangin Sultan Adam Forest Park located in Mandiangin Timur Village, Karang Intan Sub-district, Banjar Regency, South Kalimantan.
The Dutch guesthouse is one of the Meratus Geopark sites protected and preserved as a valuable natural heritage.
Then, UNESCO recognized the Meratus Geopark as a geological heritage site, making it a member of the UNESCO Global Geopark (UGGp).
on June 3, 2025, South Kalimantan Governor Muhidin, accompanied by the Indonesian Ambassador to France, Mohamad Oemar, and South Kalimantan Provincial Government officials, received the UGGp certificate in Paris, France.
"This is history that we must preserve for our future generations. And now we are developing it into a leading tourist area by prioritizing nature conservation," said Fathimatuzzahra.
As an effort to develop tourism, the local government renovated and built two villas to the east and west of the rest house, approximately 25 meters away.
The villas have been built with more than 10 rooms to accommodate guests and tourists who plan to stay overnight. At dawn, visitors typically enjoy the natural beauty and the clouds at sunrise and sunset.
The commitment to improvement continues, by expanding tourist destinations in the Pesanggrahan Belanda area, including paragliding, camping at the highest peak, a zoo, orchid tours, and more. The project even includes building cafes and restaurants in collaboration with the private sector to provide visitor comfort.
This serious step also serves as an effort to preserve the historical heritage as a source of pride for South Kalimantan. And it is aligns with forest conservation efforts, which are a crucial part of the implementation of the Global Geopark.
South Kalimantan will continue to strive to protect forest areas to ensure the sustainability of the millions of flora and fauna found in Kalimantan today and into the future, without neglecting the interests of the community through social and cultural approaches, as well as improving the local economy.
"Even without a geopark, it is our responsibility to protect nature, especially now that it has been designated a Global Geopark. We are part of the geopark, and we have a great responsibility," said Fathimatuzzahra.
