Baucau

Baucau

Baucau is a municipality in East Timor, formerly a district in the eastern part of the country, on the northern coast. Its capital is also named Bauca, it is the second-largest city in the country. The city of Baucau was called Vila Salazar during the Portuguese colonization. As in other parts of East Timor, much of the infrastructure of the city and its environs was destroyed or severely damaged during the riots that followed the referendum on independence in 1999. The Old Baucau Municipal Market was renovated in 2014. The old town of Baucau, with its large colonial houses, churches and public buildings, was built around a spring and retains strong traces of the Portuguese era. A considerable number of beautiful colonial buildings have been preserved to the present day. One of these, the Pousada de Baucau, is probably the last charming hotel in the country, a pink building with a restaurant and a splendid view of the sea. It used to be known as the Pousada de Santiago, but in 1970 it was transferred to the Hotel Baucau. It served as an Indonesian military barracks and prison during the Indonesian occupation. The word Baucau originates from "Akau" which in local Waimoa means "pig". Baucau has extensive coastline and sandy beaches, perfect for swimming and watersports.