Dataran Merdeka Kuala Lumpur

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Dataran Merdeka has been a focal point for many events. This was the historic site where the Union Jack flag was lowered and the Malayan flag first hoisted at midnight on August 31,1957, our independence Day.

This was originally the cricket green and rugby field belonging to the Selangor Club, now called Royal Selangor Club. The field was reclaimed by Kuala Lumpur City Hall in 1987 and developed into an underground shopping mall-cum-car park, with a new field laid on top of it. Plaza Putra, as it is called, is also the site from which a 100-metre high flagpole rises.

After Independence, the building became the site for the Federal Court and Court of Appeals, Both courts have since been relocated to Putrajaya.
The building's clock tower was used for the countdown to usher in every New Year.
Dataran Merdeka attracts a large number of tourists each day.

This historic venue is located between the hills of Lake Gardens and the Gombak River. In fact, just behind the courts, there is the famous muddy confluence that gives Kuala Lumpur its name.

Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square) is appropriately named because it was at this place on August 30, 1957 at midnight, the Malayan flag was hoisted for the first time in the country's history upon gaining independence from the British rule. The flag raising ceremony was held at the very spot where the 100-metre high flagpole now stands.

Underneath the flagpole area is Plaza Putra, an underground food, leisure and entertainment complex, as well as an underground parking bay. On the other end of the immaculately-turfed 8.2ha field lies a fountain area with elegant colonnades and colourful rows of zinnias and marigolds, a nice place to rest after a day's trip.