Jakarta, IO – The soul of a nation can be seen from the history of its buildings. Jakarta, formerly known as Batavia, has many buildings that stand witnesses to its development, from the Dutch colonial era to modern day. There are 200 cultural heritage buildings listed in Regional Government Regulation 9/1999. However, after re-examination, it turned out that there are 400. The age of these old buildings varies, but they were built between the 16th to 19th centuries.
Here are some old buildings in Jakarta that are still functioning today. Come visit for a sightseeing while learning about the rich history of the city.
Gedung Kesenian Jakarta
Located right in front of Pasar Baru, at the corner of Pos St. and Gedung Seni St., there is a building with an attractive classical architecture. This building was built by the Dutch government in 1821. At that time, it was called stadtsschouwburg which means city theater. Jakartans call it the Komidi Building. As the name implies, many art performances have been held here.
In the 1920s, the building changed its function. It was used for the first Youth Congress in 1926. Ir. Sukarno inaugurated the Central Indonesian National Committee (KNIP) on August 29, 1945 and the building was used for several of its meetings.