Since the sixteenth century, West Sumatra and particularly its capital, Padang, has been a major trade center, serving as hub for the pepper, gold, coffee, salt, and textile industries. Years of Dutch and British rule have made the architecture of the city an amalgamation of vernacular and colonial styles.
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Since the sixteenth century, West Sumatra and particularly its capital, Padang, has been a major trade center, serving as hub for the pepper, gold, coffee, salt, and textile industries. Years of Dutch and British rule have made the architecture of the city an amalgamation of vernacular and colonial styles.
On September 30, 2009, an earthquake measuring 8.7 on the Richter scale devastated the area. A rapid assessment by the Indonesia Heritage Trust included a survey of 244 historic buildings. Of these, only 16 survived undamaged; nearly half suffered major damage, requiring significant conservation interventions. The Indonesia Heritage Trust prioritized seven heritage sites in need of urgent action. Among these were the seventeenth-century Lubuk Bareh Mosque, the early twentieth-century St. Leo Church, and the Padang Old Town Quarter.
