In Padan, just say, there are enough attractions. There are practically no of them. But here, where you can go during your trip to this big city:
Old Town (Old Town)
This historic part of the city with numerous old buildings and the catch of the harbor is traces of Dutch dominance. Colonial architecture - the main attraction of Padanga.
Old town is located on the banks of the Muaro River. Stroll along a beautiful walking alley next to the river, admire the old Dutch buildings - at least one evening adventure is enough! The historic harbor was as built by the Dutch. Now the harbor and the river fill colorful little boats - looks pretty picturesque.
Do not miss a beautiful bridge over the river, the Sitti Nurbaya Bridge (Sitti Nurbaya Bridge), which sparkles colorful lights in the evening and night time.
By the way, in the old town is the Old Chinese Quarter (Chinatown) with old trading houses. There you will find the old Chinese Temple of Si Hien Kiong Temple. In general, to visit Padan and not stroll through the old town is simply impossible and unforgivable!
Aditoyawarman Museum (Adityawarman Museum)
Another place you just have to visit. This museum is dedicated to the history and culture of Western Sumatra.
In particular, most of the collections of the museum dedicated to the local ethnic group of the population - Minantkaau. Minantkabau for the most part of Muslim, but, nevertheless, lifeguings and beliefs were subjected to a strong influence of Hindu culture, and everything in general turned out very unusual and interesting.
The museum is located in the heart of the city. The museum is known among not only tourists, but also students and researchers who want to fully immerse themselves in the culture of Minangkabau. Among the collections - Documents, photos, traditional costumes, musical instruments, M. Traditional food, the legacy of the kings of Minantkabau, royal decorations and furniture, miniature ruffles Hadan (traditional house of this people) and other almost 6,000 exhibits (if more precisely, 5,781) .
Of course, the most interesting objects are the royal pieces - dagger, the royal wagon, as well as the wedding throne in the traditional setting.
Another entertaining moment is the most Rummy Hadan, more precisely, how the rooms were used there. Previously, the families of the family was not allowed to stay with their parents, and they lived in "Surau" or a boarding house, where they were taught by the Quran and the teachings of the Muslim religion, as well as the art of self-defense. Girls were taught to be good mothers. The system of kinship Minangcabaau is different from most other Indonesian ethnic groups, since Minantkabau family "is considered" on the female line (questions concerning the inheritance of the property of the family, for example, the Earth and at home, were given precisely on the female line). All this is shown in the museum.
In general, this gallery was opened back in 1977. The museum covers an area of 2.6 hectares. The museum building is as interesting in itself - this is a traditional house called Bagonjong or Baanjuang. Well, such a difficult forced name of the museum was taken by the name of one of the important kings of Minantkabau king.
The museum collection is divided by ten topics: geology and geography, biology, ethnography, archeology, history, numismatics and heraldry, philology, ceramics, art and technology.
In addition to the culture of Minangkabau, the museum collection represent a small collection dedicated to the mentai, islands, which are part of the province of Western Sumatra. By the way, the culture of mentai is very different from Minantkabau and they seem to be not connected with each other at all.
Even before entering the museum, you will see two interesting facilities in front of them - these are typical rice barns (Rangkiang).
Rice barns, as a rule, were placed in the front of the house. Here you will also find a buffalo wagon, as well as a plane of the Second World War. Well, a spacious landlocker with shady trees is a favorite place for walking at the locals.
Opening hours of the museum: Tuesday - Friday: 08.00 - 16:00, on Mondays the museum is closed.
Great Mosque of Gantiang (The Great Mosque of Gantiang or Ganting Grand Masjid)
Mosque, also known as Masjid Raya Gantiang, one of the oldest mosques in Indonesia. She is in the old town of Padanga. The mosque was built at the beginning of the 18th century on the banks of the river, but soon it was transported to the place where she is now, because the Dutch wished to build a road to port through the territory, where the old mosque was standing at the time. In general, re-mosque was completed by 1805. The mosque was modest: small, with wooden walls and stone floors.
The construction of a mosque in the Grandstick was engaged in local residents, trying to build something like the Great Jenne Mosque (in the city of Jenne, Mali). This project was financed by local entrepreneurs and was built on Earth donated by local residents. Since the construction of the mosque has become the starting point among pilgrims. In 1900, repair began in the mosque - the Dutch was instructed to set tiled floors and expand the front room and the facade of the building. The octagonal dome was erected over the mosque, and in some places they struck in Chinese style. In 1960, Masjid received 25 columns decorated with ceramic tiles - each pillar is dedicated to one of the 25 prophets mentioned in the Quran, so that the names of the prophets are engraved on them. After another couple of years, two minaret built next to the dome. As a result, it turned out that the mosque is a mixture of various architectural styles - Islamic with elements of Chinese and European architecture.
In the early 1920s, the mosque partially functioned as a school. During the Japanese short occupation, in the early 1940s, the mosque became the headquarters of the military - it was there that the indigenous peoples of the region received military training from the Japanese. After Indonesia received independence, the mosque began to attend important foreign officials, including high-ranking comrades from Malaysia, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Today, the mosque still works as a school and, of course, as a mosque.