Patumbah is a place in Sumatra

PATUMBAH – the mysterious and exotic sounding appellation is not only the name of this extravagant villa, but also a place in the northeast of the island of Sumatra. There Carl Fürchtegott Grob, the builder of the villa, earned his riches with tobacco plantations. He was one of a number of Swiss who travelled to Southeast Asia in the second half of the 19th century to make their fortune.

Grob and many other European “planters” played an important role in the expansion and consolidation of Dutch colonial rule. They gained easy access to land, displaced the indigenous population from their habitats, and established power structures and an exploitative system of contract labour. The social and ecological impacts of European plantation culture can still be felt today.

We will investigate the diverse relationships that linked Grob and other Swiss with Sumatra, take a critical look at the history leading up to the villa, and examine the challenges faced by present-day inhabitants of the former tobacco Eldorado.

The exhibition is in German and French, with an English hand-out.