Gedung Joang '45 is a historical

museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...

, which tells the history of the Indonesian struggle for independence from Dutch colonial rule and the formation of the state of

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

Museum

The museum is located in the former building of Hotel Schomper, at Jalan Menteng Raya 31. After renovation, the museum was inaugurated in 1974 by President

Suharto Suharto (8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian Officer (armed forces), military officer and politician, and dictator, who was the second and longest serving president of Indonesia, serving from 1967 to 1998. His 32 years rule, cha ...

. It is a

national monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a sp ...

and guided tours of the museum are mostly given by former combatants. In many showcases, history is depicted through scale models and the many period paintings and photographs form an important source of documentation. A recording of the

proclamation of Indonesian Independence The Proclamation of Indonesian Independence (, or simply ''Proklamasi'') was read at 10:00 Tokyo Standard Time on Friday 17 August 1945 in Jakarta. The declaration marked the start of the diplomatic and armed resistance of the Indonesian Nati ...

Sukarno Sukarno (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 the Indonesian struggle for independenc ...

on 17 August 1945 can be heard here, as well as Sukarno's speech during the large anti-colonialist meeting on Ikada Square on 19 September 1945. The museum attracts many visitors, including school classes. The museum also houses a library with historical reference works. The Jakarta Tourism and Culture Office manages the museum.

Hotel Schomper

The building originally housed the renowned Hotel Schomper, which was managed between 1920 and 1938 by its owner L.C. Schomper and his wife. After they and their newborn son Pans Schomper had moved to

Bandung Bandung is the capital city of the West Java province of Indonesia. Located on the island of Java, the city is the List of Indonesian cities by population, fourth-most populous city and fourth largest city in Indonesia after Jakarta, Surabay ...

and established a second Hotel Schomper there, the hotel in Batavia was put under new management. In 1942, however, it was confiscated by the

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

and occupied by a propaganda office, the Ganseikanbu Sendenbu. Thereafter, it was known as Gedung Menteng 31 and became the place where young nationalists such as

Sukarni Sukarni Kartodiwirjo (14 July 1916 – 7 May 1971) was an Indonesian freedom fighter and activist who demanded independence for Indonesia during the Dutch colonial era and the Japanese occupation, and was the chairman of the Murba Party until ...

, Chairul Saleh, A.M. Hanafi and

Adam Malik Adam Malik Batubara (22 July 1917 – 5 September 1984) was an Indonesians, Indonesian politician, diplomat, and journalist, who served as the third vice president of Indonesia from 1978 until 1983, under President Suharto. Previously, he serv ...

received their political education. As the so-called Pemuda Menteng 31, they would be responsible for the

Rengasdengklok Incident The Rengasdengklok Incident () was the kidnapping of Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta by several youths (''pemuda'') at around 4 am on August 16, 1945 to persuade the two men to declare Indonesian independence. It was the peak of the disagreement betw ...

; the kidnappings of Sukarno,

Fatmawati Fatmawati (5 February 1923 – 14 May 1980) was the first lady of Indonesia from 1945 until 1967. She was the third wife of the first president of Indonesia, Sukarno, and the mother of Indonesia's first female president, Megawati Sukarnoputri. ...

, and

Mohammad Hatta Mohammad Hatta ( ; 12 August 1902 – 14 March 1980) was an Indonesian statesman, nationalist, and independence activist who served as the country's first Vice President of Indonesia, vice president as well as the third prime minister. Known as ...

from their homes on the day before the declaration of independence. During the war against the Dutch, the building was also briefly occupied by the

Royal Netherlands Navy The Royal Netherlands Navy (, ) is the Navy, maritime service branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. It traces its history to 8 January 1488, making it the List of navies, third-oldest navy in the world. During the 17th and early 18th centurie ...

References

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