Museum Nasional

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  • Address
    JI Merdeka Barat, city centre

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Lonely Planet review

On the western side of Merdeka Sq, the Museum Nasional, built in 1862, is the best of its kind in Indonesia and one of the finest in Southeast Asia. It has an enormous collection of cultural objects of the various ethnic groups around the country - costumes, musical instruments, model houses and so on - and numerous fine bronzes from the Hindu-Javanese period, as well as many interesting stone pieces salvaged from the Central Javanese and other temples.

There's also a superb display of Chinese ceramics dating back to the Han dynasty (300 BC to AD 220), which was almost entirely amassed in Indonesia.

Just outside the museum is a bronze elephant that was presented by the King of Thailand in 1871; thus the museum building is popularly known as the Gedung Gajah (Elephant House). Next door is the museum's sleek new building, used for temporary exhibitions; entry is included in the admission fee.

The Indonesian Heritage Society (5725870) organises free English tours of the National Museum at every Tuesday and Thursday and every second Saturday and last Sunday in the month; French tours take place at every third Wednesday of the month.