Fodor's Expert Review Multatuli Huis

This museum honors the beliefs and work (and continues the legacy) of Eduard Douwes Dekker (1820–87), aka Multatuli (from the Latin, meaning "I have suffered greatly"), who famously wrote Max Havelaar, or the Coffee Auctions of the Dutch Trading Company, a book that uncovered the evils of Dutch colonialism. Born in this very house as the son of a sea captain, Dekker accompanied his father to the Dutch East Indies (modern-day Indonesia) and joined the Dutch civil service there. After becoming disenchanted and spending years wandering in poverty, he wrote and published his magnum opus in 1860, denouncing and exposing the colonial landowners' narrow minds and inhumane practices. Today, Dutch intellectuals and progressive thinkers respect him mightily.