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.
