Fritzjames Stephen
Jakarta is the capital of Indonesia and is the centre of government, commerce and trade. With a rich and diverse cultural heritage, Jakarta boasts some of the top heritage sites in the world.
This cultural park displays the ethnic cultures and tradition through permanent exhibits of traditional architecture that is native to the 30 provinces. Drama and dance performances representing different provinces are frequently staged in the pavilions. There are many service apartments in Jakarta such as the Somerset Grand Citra Jakarta that are conveniently located within easy reach of the Miniature Park.
The park an art centre popularly known as TIM, is a place where modern composers bring out regular performances of traditional and contemporary art that include western ballet, dramas, Javanese dances, exhibitions of handicrafts and fine arts. Ismail Marzuki Park art centre publishes a monthly calendar of its events that can be obtained at the TIM offices at Jalan Cikini Raya.
Museum Gajah is Indonesia's national museum and is located at the west side of Merdeka Square in Jakarta. It displays historical, pre-historical, archaeological and ethnographic aspects of Indonesia through the massive collection of numerous artefacts and relics that date back as far as the Han, Tan and Ming dynasties.
The Wayang Museum is situated in the Old Town area on the western side of Taman Fatahillah. The Wayang Museum boasts the finest displays of Indonesian wayang puppets with a collection of puppets from Indonesia and other parts of Southeast Asia. The wooden and leather puppets at the museum reflect the finest craftsmanship in this specific form of traditional theatre. You are also able to enjoy shortened performances of the Wayang Kulit leather puppets every Sunday morning.
Maritime Museum is housed in a massive building constructed using two original warehouses from the first trading post of the Dutch East Indies Company in Java. The interesting collection of exhibits prominently displays large models of boats from different islands. The iconic old harbourmaster's tower is located nearby the museum. Maritime Museum is open throughout the week except Friday from 8.00am to 2.00pm.
Monumen Nasional (National Monument) which is popularly known as "MONAS" is an iconic 137 metre tall marble obelisk that is topped with a flame coated by 35 kg of gold. It is a symbolic representation of the people's determination to achieve their national freedom. This landmark monument is located in front of the president's palace and is freely opened to public. You can have a spectacular bird's eye view across the city to the sea while going up the elevator that carries visitors to the top of the tall monument.
