Depok: Difference between revisions

In 18 May 1696, a former [[Dutch East India Company|VOC]] officer Cornelis Chastelein bought the land with an area of 12,44&nbsp;km², 6.2% of area of today's Depok. Besides cultivating the area with industrial plants with the help of the locals, Mr Chastelein was also active in Zending mission to preach the teachings of Christianity to the indigenous Indonesians. To this end, he established a local congregation named De Eerste Protestante Organisatie van Christenen (DEPOK)<ref> http://www.margonda.com Margonda dotcom</ref>. Although the name Depok, meaning hermitage or abode of one living in seclusion, was already in existence before the establishment of the congregation, some argueinsist the acronym might have been the origin of the city's name. Prior to his death, Mr Chastelein had alledgedly written a will that freed the slaves of Depok and gave them pieces of his land, therefore converting [[slaves]] into [[landlord]]s.