Independence Square

About Independence Square

Independence Square is a square located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is situated in front of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building. It was formerly known as the Selangor Club Padang, or simply the Padang, and was used as the cricket green of the Selangor Club. It was here that the Union Flag was lowered and the Malaysian flag hoisted for the first time at midnight on 31 August 1957. Since then, the Independence Square has been the usual venue for the annual Independence Day Parade.

Independence Square (Dataran Merdeka) is a broad green in the heart of old Kuala Lumpur in front of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building, and holds a special place in Malaysian hearts: it was here that the Union Flag was lowered and the Malaysian flag hoisted for the first time at midnight on 31 August 1957, marking independence, although the proclamation itself was read at the nearby Merdeka Stadium. Since then the square has been the usual venue for the annual Independence Day parade. In British times the square was a cricket ground known as the Padang ("field" in Malay) belonging to the Selangor Club, today the Royal Selangor Club, which still uses it as its main cricket ground. At one end rises one of the tallest flagpoles in the world, 100 metres high, flying the Malaysian flag. The square is ringed by some of the city's finest colonial buildings: the Sultan Abdul Samad Building with its Indo-Saracenic architecture and clock tower, the Old City Hall, the Tudor-style Royal Selangor Club, the Anglican St Mary's Cathedral and the Victoria Fountain, along with the Kuala Lumpur City Gallery, making it the natural starting point for exploring the historic centre and the nearby Masjid Jamek.

Where:

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia