MALAYSIA SELANGOR KLANG -HERITAGE BUILDINGS ( PART 1)

STORY OF THE NAME –KLANG

KLANG may have ta name from the Klang River which flows through entire geographical area in immediate vicinity of the river, which begins at Kuala Lumpur and runs west all the way to Port Klang , is known as the Klang Valley.

Other theories regarding the origin of the name include the belief that it was either derived from the Mon-Khmer word “ Klong” or from the old meaning of the Malay word “ Kilang “ meaning warehouses, given that the area was full of warehouses in the old days( kilang currently means “Factory”)

1.       KLANG RAILWAY STATION

The Klang Railway Station was built in 1890. It was constructed to replace the original Bukit Kuda station, which had been in use since the Selangor Railway was first completed in 1875 and located 3 miles away from Klang town. The state government had been struggling with a limited budget and was unable to extend the railway to the southern boundary of Klang town. A bridge crossing the Klang River, however was built to meet the residential and commercial transportation needs.

To accommodate the growing traffic of passengers and goods, the government built an iron bridge across the Klang River, which cost about 94600 dollars. It also built the Klang Railway Station.

5 years later, the Klang Jetty had reached its maximum capacity, thanks to the transport of tin products and coffee. This prompted the government’s decision to build a new port (Port Swettenham, the current Port Klang), which is located at the mouth of the Klang River. Between 1895 to 1901, an extension of 6 miles to the original Selangor’s railway system quickly became one of the busiest in the peninsula.

2.       GEDUNG RAJA ABDULLAH

Built in 1857, Gedung Raja Abdullah in Klang was first used to store weapons, tin and food. In 1874, the British converted the warehouse into government offices, in which the first council meeting of Selangor was held in.

In 1880, Gedung Raja Abdullah was turned into a police station and remained so until 1974. The lock ups with heavy iron wrought gates, still exist.

More recently, the building was turned into a museum in 1985, exhibiting the history of Selangor’s tin mining industry and its role in the development and success of Selangor.

3.       KLANG FIRE STATION ( BALAI BOMBA KLANG)

This beautiful Victorian style construction was built in the 1890s, primarily to safeguard the town from fires. It located at the junction of Jalan Tengku Diaudin and Jalan Tengku Kelana , overlooking the bridge on the latter road.

Today, the building still serves as a fire station. Though it has been renovated throughout the years to accommodate modern use, the main structure and architectural design features are well maintained, keeping intact the way it looked a hundred years ago.