Municipal Market of Baucau

Municipal Market of Baucau
Municipal Market of Baucau
Mercado Municipal de Baucau
	The building in 2014
General information
Type	Former public market ; Cultural centre ;
Architectural style	Portuguese colonial
Town or city	Baucau
Country	East Timor
Coordinates	8°27′47″S126°27′10″E / 8.46296°S 126.45291°E
Opened	1932
Renovated	1970s / 2014
Technical details
Floor count	2

Last updated August 06, 2023

The old Municipal Market of Baucau (Portuguese : Mercado Municipal de Baucau) is an historic Portuguese colonial-style former public market in Baucau, East Timor. Since the completion of a renovation in 2014, it has been a cultural centre.

History

The building was constructed at the initiative of Lieutenant Armando Eduardo Pinto Correia [ de ], administrator of the Baucau district from 1928 to 1934. It was part of an extravagant plan by Pinto Correia to build public buildings, residences and offices, and a group of schools [ de ], in the main towns of the district.^[1]

Opened in October 1932, the new structure "... acquired an unexpected place in the community due to the lightness of its lines and the clever way it was placed between the hillside and the meadowlands." However, it also came under fire from government bodies for being allegedly too opulent and excessive in size.^[1]

During World War II, the building was partially destroyed. It was not rebuilt until after 1970.^[2]^[3]

In March 1997, the VIP guests attending the installation of the first Bishop of Baucau, Basílio do Nascimento, dined at the market, which is beside the cathedral.^[4] Following the East Timorese independence referendum in 1999, the Indonesian military destroyed the market building again.^[2]^[3]

In 2009, the government of East Timor announced that the building, which was by then in an advanced state of degradation, would be refurbished.^[3]^[5] The aim of the restoration project was to repurpose the building as a cultural centre.^[5] According to the announcement, a mobile structure for cultural shows, conferences and exhibitions would be created in the building's central area, while rooms at its periphery would house exhibitions and a small library.^[5]

However, a Hong Kong-based journalist later reported that the "derelict old marketplace" was still yet to be restored even in 2012: "... the charming, if not slightly spooky, ... building ... sits in the centre of the laid back old town begging for restoration, nature slowly reclaiming it."^[6] The renovation work, which also involved repainting the originally white structure in a combination of yellow and blue hues with pink roofs, was not completed until 2014.^[2]

Architecture

The building's French-influenced design is reminiscent of European fair and exhibition pavilions erected at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. At the time of its construction, it was unusually substantial for colonial Portuguese East Timor.^[1] Located on a slope running downwards from the south to the north, it was constructed as a large courtyard, now covered.^[3]

The southern side of the courtyard is surrounded by a semi-circular gallery made up of a colonnade and architraves. The ends of the gallery abut matching towers at the northeastern and northwestern corners of the building, respectively. The building's northern side is a less sharply curved, arched corridor linking the towers with open, well ventilated arcades. On a lower level to the north of, and overlooked by, the building is a form of public square.^[1]^[2]^[3]

The upper and lower levels are divided by a blank masonry retaining wall; two majestic staircases climb from the bases of the two towers to a landing in front of a triumphal central portal, which is crowned by a rectangular pediment decorated with the Portuguese coat of arms.^[1]^[3] Flanking the central arch of the portal are two columns with phytomorphic capitals, and also two lesser lateral arches in Serlian fashion. The columns and lateral arches combine to add lightness to both levels; they give the place a serenity more apposite to a temple.^[1]

The building originally also had a portal, pediment and columns at its lower level. Those elements were later eliminated, to the detriment of the building's composition. Additionally, the whole system of architraves between the columns of the upper floor colonnade was later decorated with lobular arches that transformed the building's appearance.^[1]

Related Research Articles

Baucau is a municipality, and was formerly a district, of East Timor, on the northern coast in the eastern part of the country. The capital is also called Baucau. The population of the municipality is 111,694 and it has an area of 1,506 km².

Baucau is the second-largest city in East Timor, after Dili, the capital, which lies 122 km (76 mi) to its west.

The Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição is a church in the civil parish of Madalena, in the municipality of Lisbon.

Baucau Airport, formerly Cakung Airport, is an unattended and mostly unused airport near Baucau, East Timor. It is the largest airport in East Timor, and has a much longer runway than Dili's Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport, long enough to handle large commercial airliners.

The Roman Temple of Évora, also referred to as the Templo de Diana is an ancient temple in the Portuguese city of Évora. The temple is part of the historical centre of the city, which was included in the classification by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. It represents one of the most significant landmarks relating to the Roman and Lusitanian civilizations of Évora and in Portuguese territory.

The São João Theatre, commonly referred to as the São João National Theatre is a Portuguese theatre and concert venue in civil parish of Cedofeita, Santo Ildefonso, Sé, Miragaia, São Nicolau e Vitória, in the municipality of Porto, in northern Portugal.

The Museum-Residence of Guerra Junqueiro is a former-residence and museum located in the civil parish of Cedofeita, Santo Ildefonso, Sé, Miragaia, São Nicolau e Vitória, in the Portuguese north, municipality of Porto, classified as a Imóvel de Interesse Público.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angra do Heroísmo City Hall</span> City Hall in Angra do Heroísmo, Portugal

The Angra do Heroísmo City Hall is a medieval structure constructed to house the municipal council/authority, situated in the civil parish of Sé, municipality of Angra do Heroísmo, on the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores.

The Casa da Câmara is a former-administrative building located in the civil parish of Cedofeita, Santo Ildefonso, Sé, Miragaia, São Nicolau e Vitória, in the municipality of Porto, in northern Portugal.

The Tower of D. Pedro Pitões is a former-medieval fortification situated in the civil parish of Cedofeita, Santo Ildefonso, Sé, Miragaia, São Nicolau e Vitória, that protected the northern Portuguese city of Porto.

The Church of Atalaia is a church in the civil parish of Atalaia, municipality of Vila Nova da Barquinha, in the Centro region of Portugal. The Renaissance-era religious building, has been molded by successive layers of Mannerist and Baroque decorative and structural elements, that include the portico, but whose origin dates to the Gothic architecture of the early 16th century. The unique central tower, Baroque azulejo tile-work and 16th century pulpit are important characteristics of this parish church.

The Church of São Salvador is a church in the civil parish of Trofa, Segadães e Lamas do Vouga, in the municipality of Águeda, in the Portuguese Centro district of Aveiro.

The Castle of Lamego is a medieval castle located in the civil parish of Lamego, in the municipality of Lamego, Portuguese district of Viseu.

Goulburn Post Office is a heritage-listed post office at 165 Auburn Street, Goulburn, Goulburn Mulwaree Council, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Colonial Architect James Barnet and built from 1880 to 1881 by F. Horn. It is also known as Goulburn Post and Telegraph Office. The property is owned by Australia Post. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 22 December 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mudgee Post Office</span> Historic site in New South Wales, Australia

Mudgee Post Office is a heritage-listed post office at 80 Market Street, Mudgee, Mid-Western Regional Council, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Alexander Dawson and built in 1862, with 1902 additions designed by Walter Liberty Vernon. The property is owned by Australia Post. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 17 December 1999.

Casa Europa is an historic late nineteenth-century Portuguese colonial building in the Bidau Lecidere suco of Dili, capital city of East Timor.

Grahame's Corner is a heritage-listed commercial and office building located at 142-144 Pitt Street, in the Sydney central business district, in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by G. A. Morell and built from 1877 to 1882. It is also known as Grahams Corner and the AMFIS Building. The property was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liceu Dr. Francisco Machado</span> Educational facility in Dili, East Timor

The Liceu Dr. Francisco Machado is a neoclassical / Portuguese colonial former school building in the Colmera suco of Dili, capital city of East Timor. It is located one block west of the National Parliament of East Timor, and faces Rua de Moçambique. Today, it houses the Faculty of Education, Arts and Humanities of the National University of East Timor.

The old Municipal Market of Dili, now the Dili Convention Centre, is a renovated and repurposed historic Portuguese colonial-style former public market building in Dili, the capital city of East Timor.

The Government Palace in Dili, the capital city of East Timor, is the official workplace of the Prime Minister and Constitutional Government of East Timor. In the final stages of the Portuguese colonial era, it was known as the Official Palace, and was the office of the colonial governor.

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Alves, Edmundo; Bagulho, Fernando. "The Market Baucau, Baucau, Timor". HPIP Heritage of Portuguese Influence. Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation . Retrieved 18 November 2021.
1 2 3 4 Barbieri, Giò (17 January 2018). "Timor-Leste. Da Baucau a Maubare" [Timor-Leste. From Baucau to Maubare]. Wall Street International (in Italian). Archived from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
1 2 3 4 5 6 Jiaying Fang (2019). "A Comparative Study of Portuguese Colonial Architecture: a Case Study of East Timor and Macau" (PDF). Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research. 368: 238. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
↑ Walters, Patrick (22 March 1997). "Baucau sad symbol of Jakarta failings". The Australian . Retrieved 13 February 2022.
1 2 3 "Recovering the Old Municipal Market in Baucau". Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste . Archived from the original on 30 March 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
↑ Grundy, Tom (10 October 2012). "East Timor – East of Eden". Hong Kong Free Press . Retrieved 19 November 2021.

External links

Media related to Municipal Market of Baucau at Wikimedia Commons

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[hpip-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Alves, Edmundo; Bagulho, Fernando. "The Market Baucau, Baucau, Timor". HPIP Heritage of Portuguese Influence. Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation . Retrieved 18 November 2021.

[wsi_2018-01-17-2] 1 2 3 4 Barbieri, Giò (17 January 2018). "Timor-Leste. Da Baucau a Maubare" [Timor-Leste. From Baucau to Maubare]. Wall Street International (in Italian). Archived from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2021.

[jf_2019-3] 1 2 3 4 5 6 Jiaying Fang (2019). "A Comparative Study of Portuguese Colonial Architecture: a Case Study of East Timor and Macau" (PDF). Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research. 368: 238. Retrieved 18 November 2021.

[ta_1997-03-22-4] Walters, Patrick (22 March 1997). "Baucau sad symbol of Jakarta failings". The Australian . Retrieved 13 February 2022.

[drtl_2009-5] 1 2 3 "Recovering the Old Municipal Market in Baucau". Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste . Archived from the original on 30 March 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2021.

[hkfp_2021-10-10-6] Grundy, Tom (10 October 2012). "East Timor – East of Eden". Hong Kong Free Press . Retrieved 19 November 2021.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]