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| Welcome to Gedung Pancasila |
Have you visited Gedung Pancasila or Pancasila building before?
To those who occasionally drive around Gambir or Pejambon, the area where my office is located, you probably have seen this majestic building on the left side. Easily recognized from its columns, Gedung Pancasila is truly a beautiful architecture.
Located at Jl. Taman Pejambon no. 6, Central Jakarta, this historical building is situated inside of the building complex of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia.
I have to say this building is one of the beautiful, well-preserved historical buildings in Jakarta.
Gedung Pancasila, as the name suggested, is the very place where Pancasila, the Indonesian State philosophy consisting of 5 principles, was born and inaugurated by our first President, Soekarno. Panca means 5 in Sanskrit, while Sila means pillars. Pancasila itself has a long, interesting story. I guess I can share that later.
Built in the beginning of 1830s, this neoclassic building is famous for its 8 columns and used to serve as the residence of the Royal Dutch Army General, Mr. Hertog Bernhard. Considering how wonderful this building is, we can imagine how rich and powerful the army general at that time. As suggested by various literatures, the surrounding areas near Pejambon used to be filled with Dutch - Indie governmental offices. Later, the building was sold (please correct me if I'm wrong as some open sources indicated that) and it functioned as Volkstraad gebouw or Volkstraad building. Volkstraad itself is like representative council where, for the first time, Indonesian representatives were included.
Fast forward, when the Dutch lost the war to Japan, this building was turned into the headquarters of Badan Penyelidik Usaha - usaha Persiapan Kemerdekaan (BPUPKI) or literally translated as Investigating Committee for Preparatory Works for Independence. These important people discussed at length all the necessary groundworks for Indonesia's Independence.
Built in the beginning of 1830s, this neoclassic building is famous for its 8 columns and used to serve as the residence of the Royal Dutch Army General, Mr. Hertog Bernhard. Considering how wonderful this building is, we can imagine how rich and powerful the army general at that time. As suggested by various literatures, the surrounding areas near Pejambon used to be filled with Dutch - Indie governmental offices. Later, the building was sold (please correct me if I'm wrong as some open sources indicated that) and it functioned as Volkstraad gebouw or Volkstraad building. Volkstraad itself is like representative council where, for the first time, Indonesian representatives were included.
Fast forward, when the Dutch lost the war to Japan, this building was turned into the headquarters of Badan Penyelidik Usaha - usaha Persiapan Kemerdekaan (BPUPKI) or literally translated as Investigating Committee for Preparatory Works for Independence. These important people discussed at length all the necessary groundworks for Indonesia's Independence.
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| Members of BPUPKI |
This historical building is listed as one of the national ‘cagar budaya’ or cultural heritage and well-maintained by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia.
It is still actively used for formal occasions and sometimes opened for public on special event, like during the annual press statement of the Minister for Foreign Affairs in the beginning of the year.
Inside is beautiful and has lovely settings for meetings and/or dining. If you asked, one of my favorite spots here is the President Soekarno’s painting inside.
I was lucky to join a mini tour of this building.
Check out my YouTube video for that.
So, what do you thing?
Do you want to know more about this historical building?
I will share more here so stick around!
One thing for sure, this building is indeed worth a visit!
Check out my YouTube video for that.
So, what do you thing?
Do you want to know more about this historical building?
I will share more here so stick around!
One thing for sure, this building is indeed worth a visit!
