Balai Sarbini (Indonesian "Sarbini Hall") is a dome-roofed auditorium and concert hall located in central

Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...

. The building was enveloped by the comprehensive shopping mall,

The Plaza Semanggi The Plaza Semanggi is a commercial complex at Semanggi Interchange in South Jakarta, Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists ...

History

Balai Sarbini and the adjacent Gedung Veteran (Veteran's Building), also known as the Graha Purna Yudha tower, were built by President

Sukarno Sukarno). (; born Koesno Sosrodihardjo, ; 6 June 1901 – 21 June 1970) was an Indonesian statesman, orator, revolutionary, and nationalist who was the first president of Indonesia, serving from 1945 to 1967. Sukarno was the leader of ...

in 1965 for the

Veterans’ Legion of Indonesia The Veterans' Legion of Indonesia ( id, Legiun Veteran Republik Indonesia), established on 1 January 1957, is the national ex-service organisation of Indonesia, serving men and women veterans and veterans' families who previously served in the Indo ...

(LVRI) that was established by Sukarno in 1957 to look after the interests of veterans who had fought against foreign aggression to maintain Indonesia's independence. This initially meant for those who were involved in the 1945-1949 guerilla war against the Netherlands, although later also included the campaign for

Irian Jaya New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torres ...

(1961-1963) and the

Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation The Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation or Borneo confrontation (also known by its Indonesian / Malay name, ''Konfrontasi'') was an armed conflict from 1963 to 1966 that stemmed from Indonesia's opposition to the creation of the Federation of ...

(1963-1966). President Sukarno laid the first stone for Balai Sarbini and Gedung Veteran on January 6, 1965. Funding shortages delayed the project until 1973 when it was opened by President

Suharto Suharto (; ; 8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian army officer and politician, who served as the second and the longest serving president of Indonesia. Widely regarded as a military dictator by international observers, Suharto ...

on March 11, 1973. The architect of the building was Ir. Moerdoko. The name Sarbini was named after Lieutenant General Sarbini (1914-1977) who was in charge of the Ministry of Veteran Affairs and head of the LVRI when the original building project began. In 2000, after revitalization phase which does not change the structure and the condition of the building, Balai Sarbini appears with “new face”. It is not only historic monumental building but also the most representative place in Jakarta to hold cultural activities. Furthermore, it can also generate revenues for Indonesia. To enhance its performance as a center for cultural activities, the management of Balai Sarbini invited audio consultants to upgrade the acoustic system inside the Main Hall. On February 23, 2004, President

Megawati Soekarnoputri Diah Permata Megawati Setiawati Sukarnoputri (; born 23 January 1947) is an Indonesian politician who served as the fifth president of Indonesia from 2001 to 2004. She previously served as the eighth vice president from 1999 to 2001. Megawati i ...

signed a plaque commemorating inauguration of the new Balai Sarbini. From this point of time, Indonesians expect that Balai Sarbini would become the most preferred place for Indonesia's art–lovers and performers to hold their activities.

References

Cited works

*{{cite book , last=Merrillees , first=Scott , date=2015 , title=Jakarta: Portraits of a Capital 1950-1980 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=akLWjgEACAAJ&q=JAKARTA:+Portraits+of+a+Capital+1950-1980 , location=Jakarta , publisher=Equinox Publishing , isbn=9786028397308 Concert halls in Indonesia Buildings and structures in Jakarta Music venues completed in 1965 Tourist attractions in Jakarta South Jakarta