National Monument (Indonesia)
| National Monument | |
|---|---|
Monumen Nasional | |
 The Monument in 2015 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Obelisk |
| Location | Central Jakarta, Jakarta, Indonesia |
| Coordinates | 6°10′31.4″S 106°49′37.7″E / 6.175389°S 106.827139°E |
| Construction started | 17 August 1961 |
| Completed | 12 July 1975 |
| Inaugurated | 12 July 1975 |
| Owner | Republic of Indonesia |
| Management | Government of Jakarta |
| Height | 132 m |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | |
| Main contractor | P.N. Adhi Karya (foundation piles) |
| Other information | |
| Public transit access |  Juanda station or Gambir station (U/C)      Monas    Balaikota Monas (U/C) |
The National Monument (
Construction began in 1961 under the direction of President
The monument and the museum are open daily from 08.00 until 16.00 Western Indonesia Time (
Background
After the Indonesian government returned to
On 17 August 1954, a National Monument Committee was established and a design competition was held in 1955. This attracted 51 entries, but only one design, by Friedrich Silaban, met any of the criteria determined by the committee, which included reflecting the character of Indonesia in a building capable of lasting for centuries. A repeat competition was held in 1960, but once again, none of the 136 entries met the criteria.
The chairman of the jury team then asked Silaban to show his design to Sukarno. However, Sukarno did not like the design as he wanted the monument to be in the form of a
Silaban refused to design a smaller monument, suggesting that construction be delayed until the Indonesian economy improved. Sukarno then asked the architect R.M. Soedarsono to continue with the design. Soedarsono incorporated the numbers 17, 8 and 45, representing the 17 August 1945 Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, in the dimensions of the monument.[2][3][a]
Construction
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The construction of Monas proceeded in three stages. The first period, from 1961/1962–1964/1965 began with the official start of construction on 17 August 1961 with Sukarno ceremonially driving in the first concrete pile.
A total of 284 piles were used for the foundation block. A further 360 piles were driven in for the museum foundations, with work being completed in March 1962. The walls of the museum in the base were completed by October. Construction of the obelisk then commenced and was finished in August 1963. Work in the second stage, from 1966 to 1968, was delayed by shortages of funding and the aftermath of the 30 September Movement coup attempt.
In the final phase, from 1969 to 1976, the dioramas for the historical museum were added. Problems remained once construction was complete, and work was needed to solve problems with water leaking into the museum. Monas was officially opened to the public on 12 July 1975.[4][5]
The location of Monas is known as Merdeka Square.
Description
Design
The towering monument encapsulates the philosophy of
It also resembles the bloom of the famous Amorphophallus titanum, native to Indonesia. Indeed, fiberglass Amorphophallus and Rafflesia sculptures were once installed around the monument.
The monument consists of a 117.7m obelisk on a 45m square platform at a height of 17m, the goblet yard. The obelisk itself is clad with Italian marble.[6][7]
The northern pond measuring 25×25 m was designed to cool water for the
Reliefs of Indonesian history
In the outer yard surrounding Monas there are
The National History Museum
The Indonesian National History Museum has a display of dioramas in the large marble-lined hall below Monas. There are a total of 51 dioramas around the walls and in the centre of the hall.
The dioramas begin in the northeastern corner, displaying the scenes from
The dioramas continue well into the 20th century showing the Japanese occupation, the proclamation of Indonesian independence in 1945, the struggle for independence of Indonesian revolution, and on to events during the New Order era of Suharto's regime.
The Hall of Independence
The Hall of Independence (
There is a middle platform on top of the cawan (goblet) which provides visitors with views from a height of 17 metres. This middle platform is accessible through the elevator on the way down from the main observation deck (the lift stops on the way down at the cawan to allow visitors to exit) or through stairs from below.
The Observation Deck and Flame of Independence
A lift on the southern side carries visitors to the viewing platform at a height of 115 metres above ground level. The capacity of the elevator is about 11 people. The top platform can accommodate about 50 people. There is also a staircase for use in emergencies. The total height of the monument is 132 metres. The distance from the viewing platform to the tip of the flame is 17 metres. The ticket to observation deck is Rp.10,000 (adults, 2016).[1]
Monas is topped by a 14.5 ton bronze Flame of Independence containing the lift engine. The base of the flame, in the shape of a goblet, is 3 metres high. The bronze flame structure measures 14 metres in height and 6 metres in diameter, It consists of 77 sections. Originally the bronze flame structure was covered with 35 kg[2] of gold leaf. For the 50th anniversary of Indonesian independence in 1995, the gold leaf was reapplied and increased to 50 kg[10] of gold.
Visitation
The observation desk and other facilities are open daily from 08.00 to 15.00 daily (except for Mondays; as of August 2022). The entrance to Monas is located around 100 meters from the northern side of the monument. Visitors must enter by steps leading to a tunnel which leads back towards the base of the Monas. There is a ticket office (Rp 5,000 for adults, Rp 2,000 for children, 2016) at the end of the tunnel to provide tickets that allows access to the National History Museum, diorama displays, as well as several other parts of the area.To access the observation deck, a different ticket must be bought for RP10,000 or adults (2016) and may be purchased at a second booth after passing through the hall that displays dioramas.[1]
See also
- Juche Tower, a similarly designed monument-tower in Pyongyang, North Korea, topped with flame statue and elevator ride to the top observation deck.
- Washington Monument in Washington DC, an obelisk erected to commemorate George Washington.
- Tugu Pahlawan in Surabaya, a similarly design ten sided obelisk to commemorate Heroes of Battle of Surabaya.
- Tugu Muda in Semarang.
- National Press Monument in Surakarta.
- List of museums and cultural institutions in Indonesia
Notes
- ^ The height of the goblet yard at the base of the plinth is 17m, the width of the plinth at the base is 8m and the width of the goblet yard is 45m.
References
Citations
- ^ a b c Niken Widya Yunita (5 April 2016). "Wisata Malam Monas Dibuka, Yuk Lihat Jakarta dari Puncak Tugu". Detik Travel (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 19 May 2017. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
- ^ a b c Heuken 2008, p. 25.
- ^ National Monument Office 1996, p. 3-9.
- ^ National Monument Office 1996, p. 12-13.
- ^ "Museums in Jakarta". Jakarta Local Government (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 10 March 2010.
- ^ Monument Nasional brochure; Dinas Pariwisata dan Kebudayaan Provinsi DKI Jakarta, Unit Pengelola Monumen Nasional
- ^ National Monument Office 1996, p. 5.
- ^ National Monument Office 1996, p. 28-29.
- ^ National Monument Office 1996, p. 24-28.
- ^ National Monument Office 1996, p. 28.
Works cited
- Heuken, A. (2008). Medan Merdeka - Jantung Ibukota RI [Merdeka Square - Heart of the Indonesian Capital] (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Yayasan Cipta Loka Caraka.
- National Monument Office (1996). National Monument: The Monument of the Indonesian National Struggle. Jakarta: Jakarta Capital City Administration. ISBN 979-95172-0-6.
External links
| Authority control databases: Geographic |
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