KuchingHub

You know that white castle across the river in Kuching? I've been passing by it for years and never actually went inside until last month. Turns out I was missing out big time. Fort Margherita was built in 1879 by the second White Rajah, Charles Brooke, and named after his wife Margaret. It wasn't just for show — the fort was positioned on a hill across the river to protect Kuching from pirate attacks coming up the Sarawak River. [image: 1780797976442-fm1_thumb.jpg] Source: Wikimedia Commons The architecture is straight out of an English castle playbook, complete with battlements, a watchtower, and courtyard walls embedded with sharp glass shards (yep, real security detail). Cannons were mounted on the walls, pointed at the river — ready for action. [image: 1780797977119-fm2-resized.jpg] Source: Wikimedia Commons These days, the fort houses the Brooke Gallery — a museum that tells the whole story of the White Rajahs of Sarawak. One Google reviewer said "the collection was fantastic and complete" and honestly, it really is. Historical documents, personal belongings of the Brooke family, artifacts from the era — it's way more thorough than I expected. [image: 1780797977586-fm3.jpg] Source: Urbanist Wanderer TripAdvisor reviews rave about the view from the top — "incredible panoramic view of Kuching city and the river." Another visitor said they planned to just pop in for 15 minutes and ended up spending almost 2 hours inside. That was exactly my experience too. [image: 1780797977815-fm4.jpg] Source: Asian Itinerary Practical info: North bank of Sarawak River, next to the new DUN building Open: 9AM - 4:45PM daily Getting there: Walk: Cross Darul Hana Bridge from Waterfront, turn right Boat: Take Pak Tambang from Waterfront, RM1 one-way, alight at Pengkalan Sapi Drive: Via Petra Jaya, ~15 min ️ Brooke Gallery has an entrance fee [image: 1780797978084-fm5.jpg] Source: TripAdvisor Fun (and dark) fact: the courtyard of this fort was used for executions right up until the Japanese occupation in WWII. History isn't always pretty. Have you been to Fort Margherita? Or do you just see it from across the river every day like I used to? Drop your thoughts below

在古晋河边这么久，你有认真看过对面那座白色城堡吗？ 老实说，我在古晋住了这么久，每次经过 waterfront 都会看到对面那座白堡，但从来没认真去了解过它。直到上个月朋友带我去了一次，才发现原来这座 Fort Margherita 里面这么有料。 [image: 1780797976442-fm1_thumb.jpg] 来源：Wikimedia Commons 这座城堡是 1879 年由 Rajah Charles Brooke 建的，用他老婆 Margaret 的名字命名。是的，这是一个爱情故事开头的历史景点 当年建它的目的是为了防海盗从河上攻击古晋，位置选在河的北岸高地，整个古晋尽收眼底。 [image: 1780797977119-fm2-resized.jpg] 来源：Wikimedia Commons 现在里面改造成了 Brooke Gallery，展示 White Rajah 时期的各种文物、历史文档和艺术品。如果你对砂拉越历史有兴趣，这里简直是宝藏。Google 上有人评说"the collection was fantastic and complete"——不是那种随便摆几个展品的博物馆，是真的有用心策划的。 [image: 1780797977586-fm3.jpg] 来源：Urbanist Wanderer 有网友在 TripAdvisor 分享说，进去后不懂可以逛这么久，本来以为看一眼就走，结果在里面待了快两个小时。也有人讲"the view from the top is incredible"，从堡垒顶看出去，整个古晋市区和新 DUN 大楼就在眼前。 [image: 1780797977815-fm4.jpg] 来源：Asian Itinerary 实用资讯： 位置：古晋河北岸，靠近新 DUN 大楼 开放时间：9AM - 4:45PM（每天） 怎么去： 走路：从 Waterfront 走过 Darul Hana Bridge，右转就到 坐船：Waterfront 那边搭 Pak Tambang，RM1 过河就到 Pengkalan Sapi 驾车：Petra Jaya 方向，15分钟左右 ️ 入门票：Brooke Gallery 需要购票 [image: 1780797978084-fm5.jpg] 来源：TripAdvisor 还有一个冷知识——这座堡垒的院子里曾经是用来处决囚犯的地方，一直到日本占领时期都还在用。历史真的是⋯⋯厚重。 你有去过 Fort Margherita 吗？还是每次都只是远远看？留言分享你的经验