Museum Bahari (Maritime Museum) Jakarta
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Tibs
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The Museum Bahari or Maritime Museum of Jakarta is located in the north of the city, a 15-minute walk from Taman Fatahillah. You can also reach it easily from the old harbour of Sunda Kelapa. It is next to the Syahbandar tower and the Pasar Ikan (Fish Market) of Luar Batang. You can scroll down to see some pictures of the things to see in this area. As its name indicates, the Museum has a collection of objects linked to Jakarta and Indonesia's maritime history. It includes several real boats, some small-scale boat replicas from different regions of Indonesia (Pinisi, Lancang, Gelati), some navigation equipment and tools, some paintings and some photos. You can also read about diverse topics such as the history of spice trade in Indonesia, colonization, boat architecture, the Indonesian Navy, the building of Tanjung Priok, etc. On the second floor, you have a bit of a strange section with several dioramas representing personalities related to the sea: Famous navig
While I was visiting the National Museum of Indonesia , I noticed that most of the statues and masks on display were a bit scary to look at, even those supposed to be for decoration or entertainment. Instead of having the pictures sitting on my computer, I'm writing this post that I hope will make you want to visit the Museum. It is just 5 minutes away from Plaza Indonesia and it does not even costs a dollar to get in. Here are 11 spooky Indonesian statues and masks. Please comment if I made a mistake in the explanations as I am not a specialist on the topic. Patung Obler / Obler Statue This woman statue from Maluku was used to pay respects to the deceased and to serve as a medium of communication between the living and the dead. Patung Nenek Moyang Korwar (Ancestor Statue)
As of 2015, the National Museum of Indonesia (or Museum Nasional) is probably the best museum to visit in Jakarta. Centrally located, it is just a few minutes away by taxi from Plaza Indonesia or Jalan Jaksa. You can also reach it with the busway by stopping at the "Monas" station on the Kota - Blok M line. For the contact details, the opening hours, the free tours schedule and the entrance free, please scroll to the bottom of this review. The Museum was open in its present location in 1868 and it has been known for a long time as the Gedung Gajah or Elephant Building. The nickname is due to the statue in front of the building, a gift from the King of Thailand Rama V in 1871.
Visiting the Sikh Temple Gurdwara, just a few hundred meters away from Pasar Baru market, is one of the most interesting and original things you can do in Jakarta. Indonesia has approximately 15,000 sikhs, most of whom live in Jakarta or Medan. I was told that there is a slight difference in the origin of the two communities. Most Sikhs in Medan came to Indonesia as warriors for the Dutch army in the 19th century, while Sikhs who came to Jakarta were mostly traders and businessmen. Built in 1955, the Gurdwara Sikh Temple in Pasar Baru is the largest in Jakarta. There is another one in Tanjung Priok (built in 1925) and two smaller ones in Ciputat and Tangerang. All were built by Sikhs families from Medan who migrated to the capital. To enter the temple, you must obey certain rules such as taking off your shoes, washing your hands and feet, and wearing something to cover your head. You can borrow a hat or a veil at the entrance if needed.
The Jakarta History Museum (Museum Sejarah Jakarta in Indonesian) is one of the numerous things to do for tourists around Taman Fatahillah Square. As the name suggests, it traces the history of Jakarta from prehistoric times up until modern times. In my opinion, it is the second best museum in the area after the Museum Bank Indonesia . It is located inside the colonial building which served as the city hall for Batavia from 1710 to 1913. In 1974, it became a museum displaying any kinds of artifacts, paintings, drawings, maps, replicas, furniture and objects about the history of Jakarta. As often with Jakarta museums, the building is worth the visit as much as the collection. In particular, it is interesting to spend some time in the nice backyard and to inspect the dungeon. There aren't that many rooms to look so you will only need around 30 minutes. Even though it isn't the most interesting museum you'll ever visit, I think it is worth having a
The only remaining colonial drawbridge in Indonesia, Kota Intan was built by the Dutch in 1630. It looks similar to bridges built in Amsterdam at the same period. Connecting the districts of Pinangsia and Roa Malaka, it was manually leveraged whenever a boat would request access. The boat were usually transporting spices on the Ciliwung river up until warehouses located further down the canal. You can still visit them at the Museum Bahari or the restaurants Raja Kuring and VOC Galangan.
Vihara Bahtera Bhakti, also know as Kelenteng Ancol or Da Bo Gong is the oldest Buddhist temple in Jakarta. Built around the year 1650, it is made of several beautiful buildings on 4000m2. I did not find a lot of explanations about it in English either on the spot or on the internet. Wikipedia mentions it is quite unique as you will find rooms dedicated to Chinese Buddhist gods, particularly the earth god Tu Di Gong, but also a muslim shrine for Muslim Indonesians. They are Ibu Siti Wati and Sampo Soei So, supposedly the cook of Zheng He / Cheng Ho the explorer. There is also an area in the back dedicated to Said Areli and Ibu Enneng who seem to be the parents of Siti Wati. If anyone has more explanations, you are welcome to comment below. The temple is located within an upmarket, quiet residential area and it is quite difficult to find without asking someone for directions. I made the mistake to come by foot from Pantai Carnaval and I had to walk alm
The Museum Mahkamah Konstitusi (or Museum of the History of the Indonesian Constitution) is located in the Supreme Court of the Republic of Indonesia in Jakarta. The Museum was opened by President Jokowi in December 2014. It is probably one of the best museums to visit in Jakarta if you are interested with Indonesia's contemporary history. It is very modern, with interesting displays and videos. The first part is more a story of Indonesia's Independence, while the second part focuses on the Constitution itself. If you ask in advance, it seems you can also see where the Supreme Court deliberates. Holographic display of Sukarno proclaiming Independence The major problem is that almost everything is written in Indonesian so if you don't speak any Bahasa, you will waste your time. They can organize a private visit in English but you need to call in advance to arrange it.
The Museum Bank Mandiri is one of the least interesting I have visited in Jakarta. It seems that the bank did not know what to do with the building so they decided to put all their trash and old equipment there. In the end, you can see mostly old ATM machines, old typewriters, old computers and old calculators that don't have any significant historical value. They also have a few random mannequins. Overall : I see three kinds of people who could be interested to visit the Museum Mandiri: