Jakarta, IO – Jakarta has a unique and must-visit shadow puppet (wayang) museum located in its Old Town quarters, adjacent to the Jakarta History Museum.
Like other museums in the area, the establishment of the Wayang Museum cannot be separated from the history of Jakarta when it was still called Batavia, capital of the Dutch East Indies. It turns out that the building used to be the first church in Batavia.
The building was first established as De Oude Hollandsche Kerk in 1640. It was later renovated and redesignated De Nieuwe Hollandsche Kerk in 1733-1808, per Kompas.
A few years later, it was damaged by an earthquake but rebuilt and repurposed as a warehouse for a company called Geo Wehry & Co. in 1912.
Then on August 14, 1936, the Wayang Museum building was designated a monument and purchased by Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten en Wetenschappen (BG), an independent institution that aims to advance research in the fields of art and science.
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A year later, the institution handed over the building to Stichting oud Batavia, which turned into De Oude Bataviasche Museum, or Old Batavia Museum. It was inaugurated by onkheer Meester Aldius Warmoldu Lambertus Tjarda van Starkenborg Stachouwer, the last Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies in 1939. Years later, the building became one of the iconic tourist attraction in Jakarta.
As the name suggests, it showcases shadow puppets as well as puppets from various other countries. It opens every Tuesday-Friday from 9am to 3pm WIB. The entrance ticket costs between Rp5,000 and Rp10,000 per visitor. (un)