front of the Maritime Museum onwards to the bastion Zeeburg and a bit further west is all that is left of the wall that once surrounded Batavia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Only Zeeburg and Culemborg remain out of the twenty three bastions from that period. The Menara Syahbandar (also known as de Uitkijk), situated about 50 meters from the Maritime Museum, the former watch tower that was built on the remains of the old bastion Culemborg. The watch tower acted as a signal box and observation post since 1839 over the roads of Batavia. Before 1839, the signals with the ships were exchanged from the flagpole at the old VOC-shipyard situated straight behind the watchtower. The tower lost part of its function after 1886 when the new harbor of Tanjung Priok was opened. During the Japanese occupation, the warehouses were used as logistics storage for the Japanese army. After Indonesian independence, it was used as a warehouse for PLN and PTT. In 1976, the building was declared a cultural property. The building was inaugurated as a museum displaying the maritime history of Indonesia on July 7, 1977. Collection The museum focuses on the maritime history of Indonesia. Some of the displays are Dutch East Indian ship models and cannons. There is also a scale model of the island Onrust which was the former shipyard for repair of the Dutch East Indian ships. In the field of traditional sailing, the museum owns various ship models from the Indonesian Archipelago. A model of a Majapahit ship from ancient Java was in display, based on the Borobudur ship depicted on the bas-relief from Borobudur temple. A particularly rare collection are the Pinisi, Lancang, and Gelati traditional vessels. There is also an exhibition of shipbuilding tools as well as descriptions of the maritime traditions and folklore. In the field of modern shipping, the museum displays various navigational aids, Indonesian Navy maps, information about lighthouses and old pictures of voyages of the K.P.M. ships. The museum also shows a display of "Biological Oceanography", showing the biodiversity of the coastal areas of Indonesia. 2018 fire On the morning of 16 January 2018, a fire started at the museum and burned most of the building and its collection. Surrounding area The museum is located in Jakarta Old Town, the historic center of Jakarta. It is within a walkable distance from other cultural heritage displaying the