Merdeka Square & Central Jakarta
The National Museum is the best of its kind in Indonesia and an essential visit. The enormous collection begins around an open courtyard of the 1862…
If a centre for this sprawling city had to be chosen, then Merdeka Square (Lapangan Merdeka) would be the bullseye, with the national monument (Monas) being the dart. This huge grassy expanse is home to the first president of Indonesia's gift to the nation (Monas), and is surrounded by good museums and some fine colonial-era buildings. This part of Jakarta is not about atmospheric streets or peculiar sights; rather it's the political centre and where the nation makes a statement about its stature and prominence.
Merdeka Square & Central Jakarta
The National Museum is the best of its kind in Indonesia and an essential visit. The enormous collection begins around an open courtyard of the 1862…
Merdeka Square & Central Jakarta
It is here that Jakartans come to take a breather from the traffic. The figurative centre of Jakarta, Merdeka Square (merdeka means independence) is…
Merdeka Square & Central Jakarta
Over 1700 works of art by foreign and Indonesian artists are part of the National Gallery collection. While only a few works are on display at any time,…
Merdeka Square & Central Jakarta
Ingloriously dubbed ‘Sukarno’s final erection’, the 132m-high National Monument (aka Monas), which rises into the shroud of smog and towers over Merdeka…
Merdeka Square & Central Jakarta
The striking, modernist Masjid Istiqlal is adorned by patterned geometric grates on the windows. Completed in 1978, it's the largest mosque in Southeast…
Merdeka Square & Central Jakarta
The presidential palace (one of six in Indonesia) stands to the north of Merdeka Square. It was built in 1879 and was Sukarno's official residence during…
Merdeka Square & Central Jakarta
The twin towers of this monument with a dodgy provenance soar over grassy Lapangan Banteng and are topped by a sculpture of a man breaking his chains. It…
Merdeka Square & Central Jakarta
Gedung Pancasila is an imposing neoclassical building built in 1830 as the Dutch army commander’s residence. It later became the meeting hall of the…
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