Turn Back the Time at Museum of Jakarta History

Old Batavia. once upon a time..

It was one sunny day.
Batavia.
July 10th, 1710, that was the the date.

The Governor General of Batavia, Johan van Hoorn, just inaugurated the Stad-huis,  - the City Hall, right in center of Batavia.
People were gathering and many cheered the newly- opened building, which was said to replicate Dam Palace in the Netherlands. Government and local officials, socialites .. wrapped elegantly in their best suits and dresses to attend that celebration.
So glamorous... and everyone was in the festive mode!

Except those struggling for independence...and decent life.

Fast forward 400 years later, my kids and I stood at Fatahillah Square.
We were visiting the very same Stad-huis ..or now known as Museum Sejarah Jakarta, - the Museum of Jakarta History.
It's time to get to know the we love closer.

The Stad-huis was built in 1707 and inaugurated in 1710

Old Batavia.
Jayakarta
Jakarta.

Have you heard of those names of the cities before?

Welcome to Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia.
This city certainly has long and rich history, a melange of typical romantic, sad period of colonialism as well as the fierce struggle for independence. And for me, it is important to know the story of this beloved city. particularly for my kids who have limited knowledge and information about Jakarta as we keep moving around from one country to another. So I believe it's about time to bring the kids to a place where they can learn about the history of Jakarta in a fun way.

And the first thing that come to my mind is Museum of Jakarta History. 

Welcome to Museum Sejarah Jakarta

Museum of Jakarta History or Museum Sejarah Jakarta is also well-known as Museum Fatahillah, because it is located in Fatahillah square.
Fatahillah was the famous hero of our colonial time, being the commander of Demak Sultanate back in the 16th century and recapturing Sunda Kelapa Port from Portuguese.

The statue of Hermes, seen from behind

We visited this place in one lovely Saturday.
The last time we went to this very place was in 2014, before heading to New York City.
At that time, we only visited Fatahillah Square as the museum was under renovation.
As we stepped into the Museum, I can see the major change inside, making me proud of looking at the serious works done by the Provincial Government of Jakarta with other relevant stakeholders.
We also asked for a guide in English to help my kids learn more about what we have in this Museum.

what's left from the prison

The first part we visited was the prison. 
Yup, the prison used to held inlander, us Indonesian the local people, who fought against the Dutch government at that time. As it was located in the City Hall, the prison is not to big.

Then we headed to see some original rooms from this building, where we saw some artefacts and objects from the colonial era, including paintings, furnitures, historical letters and documents and more. 

Can you guess who he was?

Such  long and rich history about trade, power, lust and struggle for independence. It feels like reading the whole novel about your city's affairs with every colonial power coming to visit and decide to stay for a while.

one of VOC's ships 

We saw the timeline of Jakarta, where the first Neolithic artefact was found in Condet, Pejaten, Kramat Jati and Bekasi,- all of those are areas in Jakarta and the surroundings, to the time when Portuguese came in the 16th century, followed by the Dutch not long after that. We also heard the story about VOC, Vereenigde Oost-Inische Compagnie or the United East India Company, - the trading company reigned in 1603 to 1800 in Indonesia. 

We also learnt about the origin of Jakarta.
How it transformed from Sunda Kelapa, Jacarta, Jayakarta, to Jakarta now.
Jayakarta itself means 'the perfect victory' and it depicted the glory of Fatahillah in winning back Sunda Kelapa from Portuguese at that time.

We also enjoyed some original furnitures and settings of the Staad-huis, with antique Indonesian-style furnitures with European-style ones made of native woods from Indonesia.  All those beautiful antiques are still in the very good state.

The original part of the Building

Obi standing in front of an ornate room divider made of track wood

Chair made of Jati - teak wood - and rattan

There are also parts when we learnt about the first encounter of civilisation in Jakarta and the surroundings, including some remnants from Tarumanegara Kingdom and some ancient inscription, like Prasasti Tugu.

replica of Tugu Inscription

Then after our long walk and visit in this museum, we had lunch outside within the museum complex and ate some traditional Jakarta food like kerak telor.
The kids loved it indeed.

kerak telor time!

Kerak tenor..bon appetit!

So,  really a lot to see and enjoy when you come down here.
When you are visiting Jakarta, make sure you don't miss this museum.
The ticket is very affordable, around Rp 5.000,- per person (less than USD3) for Indonesian and perhaps slightly more for foreigners. (sorry I forgot to ask).

the four of us 

The Museum of Jakarta History is located at Jl. Taman Fatahaillah no. 1, Jakarta Barat, Jakarta, 11110.

To know exactly where the museum is, check out this map from Google.



That's our story from our visit to Museum Sejarah Jakarta.
Will certainly share more from other fascinating places here from Jakarta.

Have you been to this museum as well?
Do you like it? What's your favorite part? 

WW: Welcome to Old Batavia

Here comes some snaps from our weekend stroll around Old Batavia.

Old Batavia or Old Jakarta is a beautiful spot in our capital city where many old buildings from the colonial times are still well maintained. 
Have you been here before?
To those who have visited Jakarta, they might think that Kota Tua or old Jakarta looks like a completely different part of the city. The European vibes is in the air and you can still be enjoy those unique architectures here. Recently, there has been some intensive rehabilitation measures taken by the previous Governorship in order to revive this historical spot. Apparently, those program went well as we see how wonderful this are now! Super proud indeed!

It also has so many beautiful museums surrounding it, including the Museum of Jakarta History, Wayang Museum, Museum Bahari and more.

Bo et Obi enjoying the museum..

We went to Museum Sejarah Jakarta, Museum of Jakarta History, which is located in Fatahillah Square.
We had a tour guide explaining the history of Jakarta as well as the items being displayed in the museum in English, so that Bo et Obi could fully understand the story.
They surely know more about the city we live in now and interesting (and dark) history of Indonesia's struggles in the beginning.
I will share more detailed stories about the Museum on the next post, okay.

What is that ma? asked Obi looking at some remnants from the Stone Age found near Jakarta

In front of Museum Sejarah Jakarta

The tour took around 1.5 hours and after that we had a little picnic in the designated area within the complex of the Museum.
That's decent time to see the collections in 2 floors of the museum, the Staadhuis building built in 1701 - 1710.
I have to say the last renovation done by the Provincial Government of Jakarta has transformed this museum into a much, much better place.
So, you should not miss it!

We also took the liberty to take some pictures here and there, including my outfit of the day. Yup indeed, my OOTD :).
I rarely do it but it was actually fun to have one particular part in my blog showcasing my curated costumes.

 So, what do you think?
This time my dress is not dominantly purple, but surely I wore some!

I was happily wearing; 

 ATBM (handmade, woven fabrics) batik outer in yellow, black and white, bought from my dearest friend's online boutique at IG @ggs_olshop 

 Jellyfish earrings (surely my fave, I keep wearing them again and again) in purple from @uniqlykamea (check out here IG account)

 Purple mini dress from H&M

 Wide leg pants from Macy's

White fedora from H&M

 Tory Burch sandals in sky blue and tan.

I love wearing Batik outer as it's very casual yet it's batik, our wonderful traditional fabrics. I love wearing them wherever I go and recently, we have so many interesting designs which are much more colourful and trendy.
Do you like wearing batik as well?

So, how was your weekend?

Hope you have an enjoyable one as well.

Do you like visiting old town or museums?
Any particular outfit you like to wear on weekends?

Share your favourites in your comments, please.

Don't forget to join us on (almost) Wordless Wednesday (just click the link)  and enjoy the link party!

Romantika Jakarta: National Museum

So I'm heading back to Jakarta at the end of summer and I just can't wait!
Nothing beats the comfy feeling of home obviously.
I love NYC for sure but my homeland is calling and I know we will be having great years ahead as we enjoyed our time in Jakarta for 3 years after finishing my assignment in Geneva, Switzerland. 

And as part of the warming up, I would love to take my dearest blogger friends to some little trip to Jakarta through my posts. A little walk down the memory lane and I know Jakarta has a lot to offer.

So, I would like to start it with the Museum!
Yes, the museum indeed, one of my favorite places to visit, wherever I am residing or traveling. As NYC is packed with great museums, so is Jakarta!

Do you know how many museums are there in Jakarta?
Okay, I have to admit that I don't know the answer to that question until I google it LOL.
There are 47 museums in our lovely capital city!
And 47 is not a small number so I sincerely hope I can visit most if not all of them.

Perhaps, visiting museums is not your cup of tea.
Well, at least for some Indonesians, or Jakartans to be exact. There are so many huge shopping malls here packed with entertainment centers, shops and food courts that might be more interesting for some of us.

If I said I was going to visit museums here in Jakarta, some friends might give me the what-are-going-to-do-there look.
But for me and my family, a day trip to a museum will always be fascinating!

We learn  lot and have fun at the same time. Well, it depends on the museums we visited of course but wherever we go, we always try to visit one. 

As Bo and Obi are growing up, my hubby and I decided to have educational-yet-fun trip to several museums in Jakarta before we headed to NYC at that time. The kids were not that enthusiastic in the beginning but they did enjoy the trip at the end of the day.

So, this story and photos are a little throwback from our trip in 2014. So now, let's start our journey from the National Museum of Indonesia. In Bahasa Indonesia, we call it Museum National Indonesia. some might call it Museum Gajah or the Elephant Museum, because we have that little elephant statue in front of the Museum's building.

National Museum of Indonesia was originally started from Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten en Wetenschappen. It was  established in 24 April 1778, so it is more than 300 years now! As we were colonized by the Dutch for about 350 years, it's not surprising that many institutions, including this museum, was founded by them. 

What I like most about this Museum is the spacious place it has with various precious collections to enjoy.

The National Museum is located at Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat no. 12, Jakarta Pusat.
It has several floors displaying different collections ranging from archeology, ethnography, geography, ceramics, prehistorical items and more.
The Museum is open from 8 - 4 PM on Tuesday to Friday, and 8 - 5 on Saturday and Sunday. It is close on Monday and holidays.

As you step into the Museum, the lovely ambiance and the high ceilings make the Museum feels grandeur. 

You can also enjoy some relics and statues from different temples and historic sites in Indonesia, particularly from Java. Some of them are placed on the alleys and open spaces.

The collections are nicely displayed  and well maintained as well, making it a pleasant place to visit for all ages, including the kids.

kain kapal from Lampung

Back in 2014, we only had to pay Rp 5.000,- (appr. 60 cent) for adults and Rp 2.000, (less than 30 cent ) for kids, while for foreign tourists, the ticket is Rp 10.000,- or approximately 80 cent. Very cheap, right! Up until now, the price is still the same.


If you want to know more about Indonesia, come to the ethnography segment.
Some of the highlights of traditional and cultural heritage of Indonesia are displayed there.
You can enjoy lovely, unique fabrics and traditional items used daily by hundreds of tribes  from different parts of Indonesia.

Traditional hat from West Kalimantan.

Old and traditional utensils and homewares are ammonite the items being displayed. It is interesting to see the development of those items and the differences of their use in many parts of the country.

Then see the famous story of Pithecantrophus Palaeojavanicus (I hope I got it right :D) and more pre-historic as well as archeological items.

Not to mention fabulous statues, relics, inscriptions and so many more.

If you haven't got a chance to travel around Indonesia, or planning to do so, a visit here will be a good warm-up indeed!

relics from one of our temples.....

I know that those displayed here are just a tiny fragment of the original collections, so you can imagine what we really have out there.

Obi, my daughter, with speda onthel...

I love the jewelleries collections on the fourth floor as well. 
Those fascinating designs, very meticulous! 
And thinking that they were made centuries ago.

Here's the map of the exact place of this Museum.


 


Well, all in all, we all truly enjoyed our visits and would love to go back there.
Make sure you don't miss the National Museum of Indonesia in Jakarta when you are around.