Maritime Museum
Maritime Museum is located at Pasar Ikan, 1 North Jakarta. Initially
these building served as warehouse for storing spices. The Dutch
East Hindia Company started the constructions in 1652 and expanded
in the years later. In 1976 the premises were handed over to the
municipal government of Jakarta and preparation were started to
convert them into a museum. The maritime museum was officially opened
on July 7th, 1997. The objective of this museum is to converse,
maintain, protect and expose the Indonesia maritime and fishery
tradition. A variety of traditional Indonesia boats with their very
specific shapes, equipment and decorative trimmings reflect a high-standard
maritime heritage. Apart from these props, there also miniatures
of modern ships on display. Navigational tools, anchor, the model
of light house, antique canons and many more items form part of
the museum's collection.
Indonesia is an archipelago country with a territorial
extent of 5,1 million square kilometers. Out of that extent, 3,1
million sq. Km or 60 % are waters. This geographical condition,
of course, contains various kinds maritime culture. It may be true
when later there has been a poem contained in the song of the Indonesian
children saying Our Ancestors W ere Seamen. The Maritime Museum
is the only one in Indonesia presenting maritime specific theme.
The building used for it was the former warehouse for storing spices
which in the past known as Westzijdsche Pakhuizen. The construction
was done in three stages; it was commenced in 1652 until 1774.During
the Japanese occupation (World War II) these warehouses were still
used for storing Japanese owned goods for war purposes. This Museum,
inaugurated by the Governor of DKI Jakarta, Ali Sadikin, in 1977,
has now around 1670 collections from various maritime aspects, displayed
in the forms of natural and cultural heritages.
Those Collections are, for example, traditional
boats (originals and models) found in the Nusantara archipelago
like Bugis boat, Phinisi (Bugis cargo boat), Pandekawang, miniature
of Alut Pasa boat from Kalimantan and Warship from Maluku called
Kora-Kora. Sea biota, sea archaeology, fisherman equipments, fishery
anthropology and folklore, history of shipping relations between
Nusantara and the Netherlands, Maritime tourism, information on
the Navy, paintings of maritime prominent figures and other important
maritime information. In the context of its development, the Maritime
Museum often holds collaboration with the related Foreign Embassies
and Governmental Agencies. |