- Address: Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat No.12, Gambir, Kota Jakarta Pusat, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta 10110, Indonesia
- Contact phone: +62 21 3868172
- Website: www.museumnasional.or.id
- Year of museum opening: 1868
- Ticket price: adult - $ 0.75, children - $ 0.15
- Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday from 08:00 to 16:00, Saturday to Sunday from 08:00 to 17:00
The National Museum of Indonesia is one of the most popular and visited attractions of Jakarta . He has long earned the fame of one of the best museums in South Asia. Thousands of unique exhibits of archeology, geography, numismatics, heraldry, ethnography, etc. are waiting for you in the museum's collection. In this regard, it is worth to visit everyone who gets acquainted with the island of Java .
History of the museum
It begins in 1778, when the Dutch colonialists founded on this site the Royal Society of Arts and Science of Batavia. This was done for the development of scientific research in the fields of art and science.
The beginning of the museum's collection was laid by the Dutchman Jacob Radermacher, who presented not only the building, but also a collection of very valuable cultural objects and books that became the basis of the museum library. Further, as the exposition grew in the beginning of the 19th century, a need arose for additional areas for the museum. And in 1862 it was decided to build a new building that opened for visitors in 6 years.
In the early 30's. XX century exposure of the National Museum of Indonesia participated in a worldwide exhibition, at which the strongest fire almost completely destroyed the collection. The museum was paid compensation, but it took several decades before it was possible to purchase exhibits to fill the exhibition. The newest history of the museum began in 2007, when a new building was opened. The museum is designed to preserve the cultural and historical heritage of Indonesia, and therefore plays a very important role in the life of the local population. Today it presents artifacts from prehistoric times to the present.
What is interesting about the museum?
In the museum's collection you will see a lot of exhibits brought from different parts of the country, as well as from other Asian countries. In total, there are about 62 thousand artifacts (including anthropological artifacts) and 5 thousand archaeological finds from Indonesia and South Asia. The most valuable exhibit of the museum is a Buddha statue 4 meters high. Buddhists from all over Jakarta come here to worship this shrine.
In the National Museum of Indonesia the following collections are represented:
- archaeological;
- historical;
- ethnographic;
- geographical;
- numismatics;
- heraldry;
- ceramics.
The building of the National Museum consists of 2 parts - "Elephant House" and "House of sculptures". "The house of an elephant" is the old part of the building, made in the Baroque style. In front of the entrance there is a statue of an elephant made of bronze, a gift from King Siam Chulalongkorn made by him in 1871.
In this house you can see:
- Indo-Buddhist stone sculptures of masters of ancient times of Indonesia;
- treasuries with archaeological excavations;
- ethnographic collection (national costumes, household items, ritual supplies, utensils from all the islands of Indonesia);
- halls with coins, textiles, ceramics, historical relics (they feature ancient gold items and coins, jewelry, bronze, weapons, Chinese and Japanese porcelain, dishes from Thailand and Vietnam).
Another part of the museum, a new 7-storey building, was called the "House of sculptures" because of the presence here of a large collection of statues of different times. Here you can see the exposition on religious, ritual and ritual subjects (4 stories of permanent exhibitions are devoted to them), as well as administrative premises (occupy the remaining 3 floors).
How to get there?
The National Museum of Indonesia is located at Merdeka Square in Central Jakarta , Indonesia. To visit it, you need to set off on the bus routes Nos. 12, P125, BT01 and AC106. The stop for the exit is called Merdeka Tower.