Category: Museum in Jakarta

Learn the Culture of Jakarta by Visiting the Fine Arts and Ceramic Museum at Jakarta Old Town as a Part of Walking Tour

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Learn About the History and Culture of Old Batavia by Visiting Museums on Your Walking Tour in Jakarta

The perfect place to learn and explore about the history of Jakarta is by visiting the popular landmark, Jakarta Old Town. You can find many historical buildings, statues, rivers, or even a water fountain that was and has been operating in Old Batavia since the colonial era. In this modern era, most of the buildings have changed their functions. Some of them are governmental buildings that have been transformed into museums, such as the Fatahillah Museum, Wayang Museum, and Museum of Fine Arts and Ceramic.

A Brief History of Museum of Fine Arts and Ceramics That Once was a Court of Justice in the Old Batavia Era

According to the Jakarta Cultural Department website, the building of the museum was built in 1866 and completed in 1870. It was designed by an architect named Jhe W.H.F.H. Van Raders, in a neoclassical style. At the beginning of the establishment, this building was functioned as a Court of Justice (Raad Van Justitie). Since then, the building has been changing functions through the colonial era until post-colonial era. It has been began to function as a Museum of Fine Arts and Ceramics in the early 1990s.

Explore the Museums of Fine Arts in the Modern Era of Jakarta Old Town During Your Tour in Jakarta

Like many other museums in Jakarta, the Museum opens almost every day except Mondays, from 9 AM to 3 PM. The entrance fee is relatively affordable for local citizens, IDR 5000 per persons for adult. The museum displays collections of Indonesian artists from 1800s until now. The painting collection is divided based on their era, meanwhile the fine arts collection displays statues like Asmat totem, ceramics, etc. Aside from that, there are also collections from a few of areas in Indonesia and abroad like China, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, and Europe.

Find More Things to See Aside from Museums to Learn About Jakarta History and Culture in Jakarta Old Batavia Tour

Aside from Museums, there are also more things to find to learn about Jakarta history and culture at Jakarta Old Town. Come visit Jakarta and join our Jakarta Walking Tour to explore together while strolling in the bustling city. See you around!

Explore the History of Old Batavia, From the Most Iconic Jakarta Landmark, Fatahillah Museum – Part 2

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A Brief Introduction Fatahillah Museum, the Most Iconic Historical Building of the Jakarta Old Town

If you are circling around the Jakarta Old Town Square and find a wide building with many windows, facing right at the square, then it is most certain that the building is Fatahillah Museum, or in another name, Jakarta History Museum. It is one of the oldest historical buildings in the city as it has witnessed almost every different era of Old Batavia and now Jakarta.

How to Reach Fatahillah Museum as A Part of Your Walking Tour in Jakarta Old Town

To reach the museum, the easiest way is by riding a commuter line train to the Jakarta Kota station. The train fee depends on from where you depart, but it is still relatively cheap. You can also go by Transjakarta Bus. Once you descend from the train, you just need to walk around five minutes to reach the Fatahillah Museum and due to the iconic building design, that stands out from other buildings in the same area, it will be relatively easy to find. The museum opens almost every day except every Monday, from 9 AM to 3 PM.

Take a Glance of What is Inside the Museum that Store Items, Stories, and More of the Old Batavia

Inside the Museum, you can learn about the history of Jakarta from its collection. It stores a wide variety of collections from the replica of Tarumanegara and Padjajaran kingdom, antique furniture from the 17th and 19th Century with a mix of European, Chinese, and Indonesian style. There are also ceramics, pottery and inscriptions stones that tells the history of Indonesia, mainly Jakarta.

More Things to See Around the Fatahillah Museum to Explore More of the History of Old Batavia with Jakarta Walking Tour

Aside from the museum, there is still more to see and do around the Jakarta Old Town square or nearby area to learn about the Jakarta people, history, and culture. Come to Jakarta and join our Jakarta Old Batavia Tour. Explore modern Jakarta with a fun and insightful Walking Tour to widen your knowledge about Jakarta. See you around!

Explore the History of Old Batavia, From the Most Iconic Jakarta Landmark, Fatahillah Museum – Part 1

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Museum Fatahillah, an Iconic Place That Become an Everlasting Witness of the Old Batavia and the Modern Jakarta

One of the most iconic places to visit for learning about the history of a place is a museum, as does with Jakarta. With the characteristically designed building that represents the era of Dutch colonialism, it has become a most popular landmark that has been the icon of the Jakarta Old Town Area.

An In-Depth History of a City Hall That Has Been Standing in the Heart of Old Batavia from Colonial Era through the Nation’s Independence

The building was first built by order of Batavia’s governor, Jan Pieterszoon Coen in the year 1626. After undergoing renovation for a few times, it was inaugurated by Governor General Abraham van Riebeeck in 1710 and functioned as the central government of Dutch East Indies (VOC). From there on, the building has been a city hall that served for as long two centuries. The building, while it is functioning as a city hall, contained a main prison and another prison under the main building. The main prison is used to imprison prisoners that can afford to pay for their cells. While the underground prison for prisoners from more unfortunate backgrounds. With too little to almost no air to breath, and minimum light, many people died due to cholera, typhus, and lack of oxygen.

The Transition of Function of a City Hall to Become a Most Iconic Museum in the Jakarta Old Town Area

This building has been through many changes and serve different functioned through different eras and years, until it finally inaugurated as a cultural heritage after the Indonesian independence in the year of 1974. Not long after, the building officially became a museum called “Museum Sejarah Jakarta (Jakarta History Museum)” or also known by the locals as “Museum Fatahillah”, using the name of the founder of Jayakarta.

Find More Things You Can See in Jakarta Old Town to Learn the History of Jakarta by Walking Tour

It is best to walk around the Jakarta Old Town complex since the parking area is limited and you can explore and find more things that can only be found by walking. Come to Jakarta to see for yourself and join us on Jakarta Old Batavia Tour to find out. If you want to know more about the museum, let’s meet at the next part. See you around!

Experience A Joyful Visit at Makutharama Puppet Studio, An Iconic Place for Wayang Show in the Jakarta Old Town

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Learn the Old Form of Entertainment of Indonesian People from Wayang During Walking Tour in the Jakarta Old Town

Long before technology exist, people find their own way to create entertainment by creating or modifying something. In Indonesia, the creativity of the people has take its form in “wayang”. Wayang is an authentic type of puppet from Indonesia. We have introduced you briefly about Wayang Museum in a previous article. Now, it is time for us to introduce a must visit place to watch the iconic wayang show.

Watch The Iconic Wayang Shows And Find Out The Moral of The Stories in the Iconic Studio in Old Jakarta Area

In the Old Jakarta studio not far from the Fatahillah Square, you can find the only studio and wayang store, which is the Makutharama Puppet Studio. They have a room with rows of seats to perform wayang shows. There is a wide fabric screen in the front, and the puppetteer will controll the wayangs from behind the screen.  The beautiful and meticulously crafted wayangs will create a beautiful shadow when the show is performed. What is unique about this studio is the pupetteer perform the show using English, so you don’t need to worry about language barrier in understanding the story. Due to the influence from the Hindu in the past, Hindu epics featured mosts in Indonesian wayang shows.

Other Things You Can See and Do in the Makutarama Puppet Studio in the Old Jakarta Area

Aside from watching wayang shows, you can also see various collections of wayangs that are displayed in the corners of the room. There are many colors, types, and sizes of wayangs, mostly are wayang kulit, a flat kind of puppet that made from buffalo skin, with some mechanisme in their hands and feet for the puppeteer to control them. Smaller designs of wayang that can be used as souvenirs also presents so if you want to buy them to take them home if you want.

Explore More Things and Find Out More Things to See and Do on Jakarta Old Batava Tour

Aside from wayang, explore more of the source of entertainment for Jakartans. You can visit museums, cycling, shopping and many more. Join us on Jakarta Walking Tour if you happen to visit the city. See you around!

Museum Wayang, A Cultural Heritage to Visit at Jakarta Old Town on Walking Tour in Jakarta

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Historical Museums You Can Visit During Your Walks in the Jakarta Old Town

The most iconic place to visit during your stay in Jakarta to learn about the history of the city is the Jakarta Old Town area. You can find many historical buildings there, including museums. One of the museums that holds the most impactful historical value is the Fatahillah Museum, the building that stands behind the Fatahillah Square, the white building with many windows. Alongside the Fatahillah Museums, there is also a Puppet Museum or “Wayang Museum” that is located nearby. You can learn more about the culture of Indonesian in this museum.

A Brief History of Museum Wayang That Has Been Standing in the Jakarta Old Town Area for Hundreds of Years

The previous building of the museum is originally a church that was built in the year of 1640 in the Dutch colonial era when Jakarta was still called as “Batavia”. The church name was De Oude Hollandsche Kerk and changed to De Nieuwe Hollandse Kerk in the year 1808. The church was ruined due to an earthquake, and a new building was built at the same location, which is the Puppet Museum. It is inaugurated as a museum on August 13th, 1975.

Things You Can See and What You Can Learn inside the Historical Museum of Old Batavia

Based on the name, you can tell that this museum has a collection of “Wayang”. Wayang is a special kind of “puppet” that has a distinctive feature. It is usually made from cow skin, and a puppeteer or known as “dalang” will operate a show where they control the movements of wayangs in a wide background that reflecting shadows. The show is also called wayang or wayang show. As it is originally come from Javanese community, the show is usually using Javanese language. However, there are also different types of wayang aside from Javanese wayang, so the museum housed various types of wayang from all over Indonesia, even from abroad such as Europe Countries, Republic of China and Cambodia.

See Various Types of Wayang by Visiting the Puppet Museum in Jakarta Old Batavia Tour

To explore and learn more about what is inside the museum, come visit Jakarta and the historical museum to see for yourself. Join us on our Jakarta Old Batavia Tour and we will take you to find out what the city has to offer. See you around!

Visit Maritime Museum to Learn History of Spices of the Old Batavia

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A Must Visit Museum That Holds Maritime History of Old Jakarta

Along with the the Old Town Square area, there are many places nearby that you can explore by walking to learn the history of Jakarta, then and now. As there are Fatahillah Museum, Puppet Museum, and Museum of Fine Art and Ceramics, there is also another museum in the northern part of Jakarta that contains the maritime history of Jakarta, which is Maritime Museum or “Museum Bahari” that located near the Syahbandar Tower.

A Brief History of Maritime History That Witness Changes of Old Batavia As Years Pass By

This museum was built in the era of Dutch colonization in the year of 1718. This museum was once used as a storage by the Dutch East India Company to store spices that is about to be sold to sailors from India, China, and other countries in the European continent. As for now, it is functioned as a museum that hold the maritime history Indonesia. Inside, you can find various collections from traditional ships in various form, style, and sizes, to ships from the Dutch East India era. Other than that, also equipment that sailors use in the past such as navigation tool, anchor, binoculars, lighthouse, and cannon models. You can learn the history of spices throughout the years by reading boards and infographics inside the museum.

How To Reach the Historical Museum by Walking During Tour in Jakarta

The location of Museum Bahari is around 2 KM by walking from the Old Town area. Other alternatives are local transportation such as JakLingko, online motorcycle taxi, or bajaj. The museum opens almost everyday except Monday, from 8 AM to 4 PM. The ticket price is varied, from Monday to Friday it is IDR 10.000 for local tourists, and IDR 50.000 for foreign tourists.

Explore More of Maritime History of Jakarta with Jakarta Old Batavia Tour

There are more iconic and historical places that you can visit in the Jakarta Old Town Area in this modern time. You can learn the history, culture, and delicacies of the past and modern Jakarta with us. Join us on the Jakarta Old Batavia Tour package with Jakarta Walking Tour if you plan to visit the city. See you around!

Syahbandar Tower, An Iconic Tower That Witness the History of Old Batavia

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A Historical Tower to See While Strolling on Walking Tour in Jakarta

We previously mentioned the old and historical harbor in Jakarta, Sunda Kelapa. Not far from there, other historical buildings that witness the city’s changes exist, and the Menara Syahbandar or Syahbandar Tower is one of them. It is located around two kilometers from Sunda Kelapa Harbor. So, if you happen to visit the harbor, it’s a good chance to visit this iconic place too.

A Brief History of the Historical Tower to See Around for Walking Tour in Jakarta

Syahbandar Tower is in the Maritime Museum or Museum Bahari complex. It functioned as a watchtower to monitor the outbound and inbound ships and as custom office to extract tax for goods that were unloaded in Sunda Kelapa Harbor. According to the Culture Department of Jakarta website, Syahbandar Tower occupies the former Columberg Bastion, which was built around 1645 with the construction of a wall around the city of Batavia on the west side. And the short tower at the east side was built in 1839 specifically to keep the clock and chronometer accurate. The clock that is installed on the roof is to signal ships’ crews to adjust their ship’s clock.

Syahbandar Tower in A Glance of the Modern Times of Old Batavia

After independence, the tower had been through many changes. In April 2007, the revitalization of Jakarta Old Town has been going and the Maritime Museum complex had been through restoration to preserve the historical value of the buildings. The Syahbandar tower can now be visited as a historical site. It is open almost every day except Monday, from 8 AM to 5 PM. It is believed that there is a basement and a tunnel that is stretches until the Fatahillah Museum or even Istiqlal Mosque but is closed as since.

See More Things Around the Old Town Area with Jakarta Walking Tour

There are more iconic and historical places that you can visit in the Jakarta Old Town Area in this modern time. Join us on the Jakarta Old Batavia Tour package with Jakarta Walking Tour if you plan to visit the city. See you around!

Walk Down the Memory Lane of Old Batavia by Visiting Sunda Kelapa Harbor

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A Historical Harbor to Visit During Your Walking Tour Around the Jakarta Old Town

There are many historical places to visit in the Jakarta Old Town area to reminisce about the old times of Jakarta, especially around the Old Town Square where you can see old buildings and museums. Not far from there, you can visit another historical place that is still operating until this modern time, which is a harbor, called the Sunda Kelapa Harbor.

A Brief History of Sunda Kelapa Harbor That Witness Every Changes of Batavia Through Times

The has been around since the 12th Century and it once belonged to the Pajajaran Kingdom and called the Kalapa Harbor, when the country was not established as a republic yet. As time goes by, the harbor was contested in the era of kingdoms and colonization within kingdoms in Nusantara or between European colonizers, until Dutch finally seized the country for around 300 years. In the 1970s, the ancient name of the harbor is used, hence the name “Sunda Kelapa”.

Things You Can See in the Historical Harbor of Batavia Along the Route of Walking Tour in Jakarta

In this modern time, the Sunda Kelapa harbor almost became a tourist area due to its high historical value. For economic aspects, this harbor is strategically located near trade centers such as Mangga Dua, Glodok, Pasar Pagi, and many others. Goods that had been transported through the harbor mostly are staples, spices, and building materials. So, once you arrived at the harbor, you can see many big ships, which is Pinisi ships that has been used to transport goods between islands in Indonesia. Containers can also be seen going in and out of the harbor. Flats where the worker stays can also be seen nearby.

Find More Things to Explore by Joining Jakarta Old Batavia Tour with Jakarta Walking Tour

There are still many places to explore and stories to unfold about the harbor and the city. To learn more details about the history of Batavia, there is Museum Bahari and Menara Syahbandar to visit nearby. Join us on the Jakarta Old Batavia Tour if you want to learn more once you come to Jakarta. See you around!

“Museum Gajah” Statue as An Iconic Things You Can See in Jakarta

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If you heard “Museum Gajah” or translated as elephant museum, the first thing that came to your mind was probably it is a museum of elephants where elephants are preserved or contain a history about elephants, but this time, it is not the case if the elephant statue is one of the few Things You Can see in Jakarta.

The elephant museum is another name to mention the National Museum, the museum that is located right beside the National Monument or Monas, the landmark of Jakarta. The reason for the name is the location of the iconic elephant statue inside the museum’s complex.

The iconic bronze elephant statue is a gift from the leader of another South Asian Country, which is King Chulalongkorn or King Rama V of Thailand during his visit in the 1871. The statue is placed in front of the front door of the museum, so many people remember the museum as an elephant museum, the museum which has an elephant statue. And to this day, the museum has become one of a must Things You Can See in Jakarta.

However, the museum is currently still undergoing renovation after it caught fire in September 2023, so, it is still closed and might reopen again in a year or so. Meanwhile, during your stay in Jakarta, you can still visit other museum for other Things You Can See in Jakarta.

You can still visit the National Monument nearby the museum, or visit the Istiqlal Mosque, Jakarta Cathedral nearby, or taking photos on other iconic spot or unique Things You Can See in Jakarta. If you are not sure where and what to do and see once you step into Central Jakarta, join our Jakarta Walking Tour. We will be delighted to give you recommendations and take you to see closer to what is Jakarta has to offer. See you around!

Bank of Indonesia Museum Jakarta

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Combination “bank” and “museum” is more than enough to make people stay away. However, after couple time visit Bank of Indonesia Museum in Jakarta surprisingly I found interesting stories in this well-maintenance museum.

spices history of indonesiaLocated around Old Town’s Jakarta area, Bank of Indonesia Museum give you insight about monetary timeline and old money in Indonesia. Nevertheless, I think the most powerful message that we can get from Bank of Indonesia Museum is about Indonesia spices. We could learn spices history and its correlation with money and power during colonial period.

That will give you basic understanding about why and how people from European country want to come far away and stay long enough in Indonesia since 16th century. Yes, Netherlands colonialized Indonesia for 350 years because of spices. When Chinese trader sold spices through silk route with very high price, Netherlands decide to explore the world to find land of spices with ship. It happens after exploration by sea (map -red) found by their ‘neighbor’ country.

bank indonesia museum jakarta

Interior Bank of Indonesia Museum

Netherlands found Ternate and Tidore Kingdom (Maluku island – present time) and made Jakarta as their administrative city, storage city and harbor city. All these story…you can found in Bank of Indonesia Museum. You can also see this building architecture inside out. It is old building since 17-18th century and still stand strong until today.

In Bank of Indonesia Museum, you can also explore their money collection from all over Indonesia from 9th century – long before colonial period. From paper to coin, Arabic to latin words, and of course the story behind every coins/paper money there.

bank of indonesia museum in jakarta

Coin from 9th century

THREE FACT ABOUT BANK OF INDONESIA MUSEUM

You can rent Bank of Indonesia Museum Jakarta for your wedding party

Yes, you read it right. You can rent it. Bank of Indonesia Museum has basement area where you can held your party on the evening. This museum will close at night so you can rent it for your special occasion. I’ve been see someone use basement area during daylight, but it is not as beautiful as glowing party at night. Too hot and too bright IMHO. Noisy. Make another museum’s guest uncomfortable.

bank of indonesia museum jakarta

Getting ready for night party!

Bank of Indonesia Museum Jakarta will close on Monday

Monday is maintenance day. Most of the museum in Jakarta will close on Monday. Not only Monday but this museum also close during public holiday in Indonesia. Nah, you should ask your local friend if you really want to visit Bank of Indonesia Museum.

You need to put your belonging in Bank of Indonesia Museum’s front desk

You can not bring your bag inside the museum. The staff will lend you plastic bag to bring your important belonging such us wallet, camera, phone. Fair enough?  I think so. I don’t want to see visitors make a mess with their water and snacks inside the museum. People are not easy to control even there is CCTV and sign board in every corner of Bank Indonesia Museum.

There is two best choice of public transportation to go Bank of Indonesia Museum Jakarta. You can use Jakarta train service and stop on the last train station called “Stasiun Kota”. Second, you can try our Transjakarta Bus corridor 1 Blok M – Kota. You can stop on the last bus shelter called “Kota”. We could also help you to go Bank of Indonesia Museum in the most efficient way. You can book our Batavia Tour including private guide for half day. The choice is yours. Happy exploring!