Maritime Museum (Indonesia)
Encyclopedia
The Maritime Museum is located in the old Sunda Kelapa
harbor area in Penjaringan Administrative Village, Penjaringan
Subdistrict, Jakarta
, Indonesia. The museum was inaugurated inside the former Dutch East India Company
warehouses. The museum focuses on the maritime history of Indonesia and the importance of the sea to the economy of present-day Indonesia.
The museum displays models of fishing boats and other maritime objects from different parts of Indonesia. The museum also exhibits the celebrated Pinisi
schooners of the Bugis
people of South Sulawesi
, which at present make up one of the last sea-going sailing fleets in the world.
The Maritime Museum was installed in a former Dutch East India Company warehouses. The warehouses were built beside the mouth of Ciliwung River
, the main river of Jakarta
. The warehouses is divided into two parts: the Westzijdsche Pakhuizen or "warehouses of the west bank" (constructed from 1652–1771) and the Oostzijdsche Pakhuizen or "warehouses of the east bank". The west warehouse consists of four building units, three of them are now used for the museum. These were formerly used to store spices e.g. nutmeg
and pepper
. Also coffee, tea and cloths were stored here before being shipped to various ports of Asia and Europe.
Some of the warehouses were rebuilt at the end of the 17th century in order to create more space between the city wall and the warehouses. Different dates on stones appear above some doors of the museum which probably refer to the years when repairs, extensions or additions to the warehouses were executed.
Between the warehouses and the city wall in front of the museum, the Company kept supplies of copper and tin
. These metals were protected against rain by a wooden gallery attached to the front of the godowns. This broad gallery was also used by guards on patrol, because the path on the city wall in front of it is rather narrow. The wooden gallery was attached to the second floor of the warehouses facing the waterfront, but has long gone since been taken away. The big iron hooks which once supporting the gallery can still be seen.
The remaining city wall in front of the Maritime Museum onwards to the bastion Zeeburg and a bit further west is all that is left of the wall that once surrounding Batavia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Only Zeeburg and Culemborg remain out of the twenty three bastions from that period. The Menara Syahbandar (also known as de Uitkijk), situated about 50 meters from the Maritime Museum, is the former watch tower that was built on the remains of the old bastion Culemborg. The watch tower acted as a signal box and observation post since 1839 over the roads of Batavia. Before 1839 the signals with the ships were exchanged from the flagpole at the old VOC
-shipyard situated straight behind the watchtower. The tower lost part of her function after 1886 when the new harbor of Tanjung Priok was opened.
During the Japanese occupation, the warehouses were used as a logistic storage for the Japanese army. After the Indonesian independence, it was used as a warehouse for PLN
and PTT. In 1976, the building was declared a cultural property. The building was inaugurated as a museum displaying the history of Indonesian maritime on July 7, 1977.
ship models and cannons. There is also a scale model of the island Onrust which was the former shipyard for repair of the Dutch East Indian ships.
In the field of traditional sailing the museum owns various ship models of the Indonesian archipelago. A model of Majapahit ship of ancient Java was in display, it is based on the Borobudur ship
depicted on bas-relief from Borobudur
temple. A particularly rare collection is the traditional vessels of Pinisi
, Lancang, and Gelati. There is also an exhibition of shipbuilding tools and descriptions of the maritime traditions and folklore.
In the field of modern shipping, the museum displays various navigational aids, Indonesian Navy
maps, information about lighthouses and old pictures of voyages of the K.P.M.
ships.
The museum also shows display of "Biological Oceanography", showing the biodiversity of the coastal areas of Indonesia.
, the historic center of Jakarta. It is within a walkable distance from other cultural heritage displaying the history Batavia e.g. Jakarta History Museum
, Wayang Museum
, and the Sunda Kelapa
harbor.
Sunda Kelapa
Sunda Kelapa is the old port of Jakarta located on the estuarine of Ciliwung River. "Sunda Kalapa" is the original name, and it was the main port of Sunda Kingdom of Pajajaran. The port is situated in Penjaringan sub-district, of North Jakarta, Indonesia...
harbor area in Penjaringan Administrative Village, Penjaringan
Penjaringan
Penjaringan is a subdistrict of North Jakarta, Jakarta, Indonesia. It is the westernmost Subdistrict of North Jakarta. Muara Angke Port and the mouth of Sunda Kelapa Port is located within Penjaringan. Penjaringan contains the remnants of the original mangrove forest of Jakarta, some is protected...
Subdistrict, Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
, Indonesia. The museum was inaugurated inside the former Dutch East India Company
Dutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
warehouses. The museum focuses on the maritime history of Indonesia and the importance of the sea to the economy of present-day Indonesia.
The museum displays models of fishing boats and other maritime objects from different parts of Indonesia. The museum also exhibits the celebrated Pinisi
Pinisi
The Pinisi is a traditional Indonesian two masted sailing ship. It was mainly built by the Konjo tribe, a sub-ethnic group of Bugis-Makassar mostly residents at the Bulukumba regency of South Sulawesi but was and currently used widely by the Buginese and Makassarese mostly for transportation and...
schooners of the Bugis
Bugis
The Bugis are the most numerous of the three major linguistic and ethnic groups of South Sulawesi, the southwestern province of Sulawesi, Indonesia's third largest island. Although many Bugis live in the large port cities of Makassar and Parepare, the majority are farmers who grow wet rice on the...
people of South Sulawesi
South Sulawesi
South Sulawesi is a province of Indonesia, located on the western southern peninsula of Sulawesi Island. The province is bordered by Central Sulawesi province to the north, South East Sulawesi province to the east and West Sulawesi province to the west...
, which at present make up one of the last sea-going sailing fleets in the world.
History and the building
Ciliwung River
Ciliwung is a river that passes through Jakarta, Indonesia. The river flows from its source near Puncak on the highlands of West Java to the Jakarta Bay....
, the main river of Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
. The warehouses is divided into two parts: the Westzijdsche Pakhuizen or "warehouses of the west bank" (constructed from 1652–1771) and the Oostzijdsche Pakhuizen or "warehouses of the east bank". The west warehouse consists of four building units, three of them are now used for the museum. These were formerly used to store spices e.g. nutmeg
Nutmeg
The nutmeg tree is any of several species of trees in genus Myristica. The most important commercial species is Myristica fragrans, an evergreen tree indigenous to the Banda Islands in the Moluccas of Indonesia...
and pepper
Black pepper
Black pepper is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit, known as a peppercorn when dried, is approximately in diameter, dark red when fully mature, and, like all drupes, contains a single seed...
. Also coffee, tea and cloths were stored here before being shipped to various ports of Asia and Europe.
Some of the warehouses were rebuilt at the end of the 17th century in order to create more space between the city wall and the warehouses. Different dates on stones appear above some doors of the museum which probably refer to the years when repairs, extensions or additions to the warehouses were executed.
Between the warehouses and the city wall in front of the museum, the Company kept supplies of copper and tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
. These metals were protected against rain by a wooden gallery attached to the front of the godowns. This broad gallery was also used by guards on patrol, because the path on the city wall in front of it is rather narrow. The wooden gallery was attached to the second floor of the warehouses facing the waterfront, but has long gone since been taken away. The big iron hooks which once supporting the gallery can still be seen.
Dutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
-shipyard situated straight behind the watchtower. The tower lost part of her function after 1886 when the new harbor of Tanjung Priok was opened.
During the Japanese occupation, the warehouses were used as a logistic storage for the Japanese army. After the Indonesian independence, it was used as a warehouse for PLN
Perusahaan Listrik Negara
PLN is an Indonesian government-owned corporation which has a monopoly on electricity distribution in Indonesia.- History :...
and PTT. In 1976, the building was declared a cultural property. The building was inaugurated as a museum displaying the history of Indonesian maritime on July 7, 1977.
Collection
The museum focuses on the maritime history of Indonesia. Some of the displays are Dutch East IndianDutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
ship models and cannons. There is also a scale model of the island Onrust which was the former shipyard for repair of the Dutch East Indian ships.
In the field of traditional sailing the museum owns various ship models of the Indonesian archipelago. A model of Majapahit ship of ancient Java was in display, it is based on the Borobudur ship
Borobudur ship
A Borobudur ship is the 8th century wooden double outrigger sailed vessel of Maritime Southeast Asia depicted in some of bas reliefs of Borobudur buddhist monument in Central Java, Indonesia...
depicted on bas-relief from Borobudur
Borobudur
Borobudur, or Barabudur, is a 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist monument near Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. The monument comprises six square platforms topped by three circular platforms, and is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues...
temple. A particularly rare collection is the traditional vessels of Pinisi
Pinisi
The Pinisi is a traditional Indonesian two masted sailing ship. It was mainly built by the Konjo tribe, a sub-ethnic group of Bugis-Makassar mostly residents at the Bulukumba regency of South Sulawesi but was and currently used widely by the Buginese and Makassarese mostly for transportation and...
, Lancang, and Gelati. There is also an exhibition of shipbuilding tools and descriptions of the maritime traditions and folklore.
In the field of modern shipping, the museum displays various navigational aids, Indonesian Navy
Indonesian Navy
The role of the Indonesian Navy is to patrol of Indonesia's immense coastline, to ensure safeguard the territorial waters and Exclusive Economic Zone , to protect Indonesia's maritime strategic interests, to protect the islands surrounded Indonesia and to defend against seaborne threats. The TNI...
maps, information about lighthouses and old pictures of voyages of the K.P.M.
Koninklijke Paketvaart-Maatschappij
Koninklijke Paketvaart-Maatschappij was a Dutch shipping company in the Dutch East Indies....
ships.
The museum also shows display of "Biological Oceanography", showing the biodiversity of the coastal areas of Indonesia.
Surrounding area
The museum is located in Jakarta Old TownJakarta Old Town
Kota , is a small area in Jakarta, Indonesia. It is also known as Old Jakarta, and Old Batavia . It spans 1.3 square kilometres of North Jakarta and West Jakarta...
, the historic center of Jakarta. It is within a walkable distance from other cultural heritage displaying the history Batavia e.g. Jakarta History Museum
Jakarta History Museum
The Jakarta History Museum , also known as Fatahillah Museum or Batavia Museum, is located in the Old Town of Jakarta, Indonesia. The building was built in 1710 as the Stadhuis of Batavia...
, Wayang Museum
Wayang Museum
The Wayang Museum is a museum dedicated to Javanese wayang puppetry. The museum is located in Jakarta, Indonesia.- History :The building occupies the site of a church which was built in 1640 under the name of the Old Dutch Church . In 1732, the church was renovated and the name was changed into...
, and the Sunda Kelapa
Sunda Kelapa
Sunda Kelapa is the old port of Jakarta located on the estuarine of Ciliwung River. "Sunda Kalapa" is the original name, and it was the main port of Sunda Kingdom of Pajajaran. The port is situated in Penjaringan sub-district, of North Jakarta, Indonesia...
harbor.