National Museum: Jakarta, Indonesia

For anyone interested in the cultural and national heritage of Indonesia then the one place worth a visit is the National Museum.

It’s located on Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat and oddly enough, the museum is also known as Gedung Gadjah, or Elephant House. This is due to the fact that in 1871 King Chulalongkorn of Thailand donated a bronze statue of an elephant which now sits in the front yard.

At the moment, the museum houses almost 110,000 items of interest and these are divided into the Prehistory of Indonesia, its Archaeology, the geography and of course ethnography and historical antiquities. The museum now boasts an arena area for theatrical performances, and, after an expansion project, there is even more space for exhibits.

The Museum Nasional is a centre the national and cultural heritage of Indonesia as well as for research, and, is also an educational as well as cultural information centre for students.

The museum even provides areas for community groups and artists, both local and foreign, to show their works.

Guided tours are conducted at the museum to observe the massive collection, and, should you feel fit then climb the nearby Monas Monument for a superb view of the city. Heck, it’s only 137 metres.

Opening Times: Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday from 8.30am – 2.30pm, on Friday from 8.30am-11.30am. On Saturday the museum is open from 8.30am-1.30pm

Tel: 3812346 or 3868172