Padang

Padang is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of West Sumatra.

The city had historically been a trading center since the pre-colonial era, trading in pepper and gold. The Dutch made contact with the city in the mid 17th century, eventually constructing a fortress and taking over control of the city from the Pagaruyung Kingdom. Save for several interruptions of British rule, Padang remained part of the Dutch East Indies as one of its major cities until Indonesian independence after World War II.

Padang in "Last Flight of the Swan of the East"

In November 1914, Hellmuth von Mücke and his landing team successfully sailed the schooner Following Sea from the Philippines to Siberoet Island, a two-week trip. Once there, the Dutch leviathan the Lynx towed them to Padang, in the neutral Dutch East Indies.

After convincing a Dutch neutrality officer to allow the crew to resupply for 24 hours (Mücke had to threaten to use the Maxim gun the Germans had with them), Mücke also met with Horst Schild, the German counsel in Padang, who supplied Mücke's crew with money and supplies. While a number of Germans interned in Padang also gave Mücke's crew supplies, they also plainly thought they were crazy. For his own part, Mücke resolved to engage in piracy until they got back to Germany.