Fort Oranje

Fort Oranje is a 17th-century Dutch fort located in Gamalama, Central Ternate, Ternate City, North Maluku, Indonesia. Built in 1607 by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) under Cornelis Matelief de Jonge, it served as the VOC's first headquarters in the archipelago before the move to Batavia. The rectangular fort with four bastions, thick stone walls and historic cannons is a designated cultural heritage site and a prominent landmark of Ternate's spice-trade history.

Visitors can expect a well-preserved rectangular fort complex with thick defensive walls, four corner bastions, historic cannons, and open courtyards. The interior contains restored buildings, exhibition spaces and information panels explaining the fort's history. The setting is urban, surrounded by the city of Ternate with views toward the sea and nearby Mount Gamalama. Visitors can walk along the ramparts, explore the grounds, view artifacts and take photographs of the colonial architecture.

Built in 1607 by VOC Admiral Cornelis Matelief de Jonge on the site of a former Malay settlement, Fort Oranje was the first headquarters of the Dutch East India Company in the Indonesian archipelago. It served as the center of Dutch administration and spice trade control in the Maluku Islands until the headquarters was moved to Batavia in 1619. The fort played a central role in the rivalry between the Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish and the Sultanate of Ternate during the spice trade era.

Fort Oranje is designated as a national cultural heritage site and is an important symbol of Ternate's colonial and maritime history. It reflects the layered cultural influences of the Sultanate of Ternate and European colonial powers and is preserved as an educational and tourism landmark showcasing the island's role in the global spice trade.