Meester Cornelis

Jatinegara Subdistrict Kecamatan Jatinegara
Subdistrict
Jatinegara Station, gateway to Jatinegara.
Subdistrict of Jatinegara
Coordinates: 6°49′35″S 106°10′37″E / 6.82639°S 106.17694°E / -6.82639; 106.17694Coordinates: 6°49′35″S 106°10′37″E / 6.82639°S 106.17694°E / -6.82639; 106.17694
Country	Indonesia
Province	Special Capital City District of Jakarta
City	East Jakarta
Area
• Total	10.64 km2 (4.11 sq mi)
Population http://timur.jakarta.go.id/v9/?p=kecamatan
• Total	263,706
• Density	25,000/km2 (64,000/sq mi)
Postal code	133XX and 134XX
Website	http://timur.jakarta.go.id/v9/?p=kecamatan

Jatinegara (originally known as Meester Cornelis) is one of the Subdistrict (Kecamatan) of East Jakarta, Jakarta, Indonesia. Established in the 17th-century, the area of the Subdistrict Jatinegara was one of the oldest area of Jakarta. Jatinegara contains a number of buildings from the colonial period. The area is also known as Pecinan or Chinatown since the majority of the traders are of Chinese descent In Jatinegara Market. This article describes both Jatinegara as a historic area and as a Subdistrict.

Jatinegara railway station, one of the biggest railway stations in Jakarta, is located in Matraman Subdistrict, not in Jatinegara Subdistrict; but is located on the boundary between the subdistricts of Jatinegara and Matraman.

There is also an administrative village named Jatinegara located in Cakung Subdistrict, but this is not related to the Subdistrict of Jatinegara.

The name Jatinegara was derived from Jatina Nagara, a Malay term meaning "the might of the state", symbolizing the resistance of the princes of Banten to fight toward the Dutch colonials. In the 17th century, in the area of Jatinegara was a settlement for the princes of the Sultanate of Banten.

During the Dutch colonial period, the area was named Meester Cornelis, after Cornelis Senen. Cornelis Senen was one of the most celebrated Malay (Calvinist) preacher and schoolmaster at that time, a son of an indigenous Christians who had been resettled in Lontor Island, one of the (Banda Islands). In 1656, Senen was granted land to the east of Ciliwung, with total area of 5 square kilometers, about 12 km southeast of the fort of Batavia. As a landlord, he received the title Meester. The land was used mainly for forestry. Meester Cornelis Senen died in 1661, but his name stuck and the area was known as Meester Cornelis until Indonesian independence.