Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Klang New Heritage Center

2009 will be an watershed year for Klang, and if the Sultan Selangor has his way, the royal town will have a heritage enclave to call its own in a year or two.

The successful opening of the Sultan Abdul Aziz Royal Gallery in early 2008 (pls read my blog article posted on Apr, 08) in the old quarters of Klang town has ignited new interest to preserve other similar colonial buildings in the vicinity.

Numerous royal dignitaries and visitors have made a beeline to visit the royal gallery including Sultan of Kedah and royalties from Negeri Sembilan.

However, the best PR triumph for the gallery, in my view, lies with its growing popularity with locals.

The gallery opts for a visitor friendly policy to encourage the public to discover the gallery for themselves. Despite the valuable exhibits inside, visitors can roam at their will and if there was security barrier, they have done a remarkable job of concealing them. The gallery staff are generally well-trained to ensure visitors have an uninterrupted visit.

Klang is moving in this new interesting direction as a heritage center and much of the credit goes to the Selangor royal family.

They have played a key role by spearheading buyouts (?) of buildings with significant historical value adjacent to the Royal Gallery. These buildings now used as commercial lots will be given a new lease of life by converting them into museums. They will be the new attractions in town and the exhibits will usher new interest in royal family and its history.

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