Fort van der Capellen

The town of Batusangkar grew considerably around the Fort van der Capellen.

The fort was named after the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies Godert van der Capellen.

The adats on the other hand consisted of Minangkabau nobility and chiefs who were loyal to the highly syncretic interpretation of Islam which had intermingled with the traditional adat or customary law; such as the practice of maternalism, which is against the principle of Wahabism.

After the declaration of Indonesian independence, the Tentara Keamanan Rakyat ("People's Security Army") was set up in the fort from 1945 to 1947.

[2] In 1955, when PTPG Batusangkar was transferred to Bukit Gombak, the fort was converted into a military headquarters of the Angkatan Perang Republik Indonesia.