Benteng Fort de Kock, an important fortress in the historical record of the struggle of the Bukittinggi people to drive away the invaders. The fort is located at the top of the Jirek Hill, witnessing the persistence of the Paderi forces led by Imam Bonjol against the Dutch East Indies.

The fort was built around 1826 by Johan Heinrich Conrad Bauer who was then a captain and led one of the units of the Dutch East Indies army to the interior of West Sumatra. This fortress is actually named 'Sterreschans' which means a protective fortress.

The name Fort de Kock is actually another name for the location where the fortress stands, namely Bukit Jirek. The name of this location was dedicated by Bauer to the official of the Dutch East Indies Governor Lieutenant and Military Commander (commandant der troepen) at that time, Hendrik Merkus Baron de Kock.

The existence of this fort in the city of Bukittinggi cannot be separated from the history of the Padri War (1803–1838). Disputes between Indigenous people who still adhere to old customs and the Paderi who hold to Islamic law led to the entry of the Dutch East Indies into the conflict.

The Dutch East Indies Government, which was asked for assistance by the Indigenous People, freely established a number of fortresses in the Minangkabau highlands (darek) to defeat the Paderi, including Fort de Kock in Bukittinggi and Fort van der Capellen in Batusangkar. The agreement of cooperation between the Indigenous People and the Dutch East Indies eventually turned to the detriment of the Indigenous People themselves and caused the collapse of the Kingdom of Pagaruyung.


Fort Fort de Kock is equipped with a small cannon in all four corners. The area around the fort has been restored by the regional government into a park with lots of shady trees and children's toys.

The fort is located in the Taman Margasatwa dan Budaya Kinantan Bukittinggi area in the same location as the Kebun Binatang Bukittinggi dan Museum Rumah Adat Baanjuang. The fort area is located on the hill to the left of the entrance while the zoo and museum area in the form of the gadang house are on the right hill.

Both are connected by the Limpapeh Bridge which below it is a highway in the city of Bukittinggi. This area is only located 1 km from the city center of Bukittinggi in the Jam Gadang area, precisely on the canal of Tuanku nan Renceh. So, it's quite a walk from the city center.

Want to enter, you can simply pay a levy of Rp 5,000. Seeing the fort, crossing the bridge with beautiful scenery, watching various kinds of animals and studying history in the museum can be enjoyed at once. Specifically entering the Rumah Adat Baanjuang, visitors must pay an entrance ticket of Rp. 1,000 per person. This place is often used as a family picnic place or destination for groups of kindergarten and elementary school students to get to know nature, history and culture at the same time.