Merdeka Building (

Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesian ...

: Gedung Merdeka) is an

art-deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the United ...

building in Jalan Asia-Afrika,

Bandung Bandung ( su, ᮘᮔ᮪ᮓᮥᮀ, Bandung, ; ) is the capital city of the Indonesian province of West Java. It has a population of 2,452,943 within its city limits according to the official estimates as at mid 2021, making it the fourth most ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

. Today it serves as a museum displaying collections and photographs of the

Asian–African Conference The first large-scale Asian–African or Afro–Asian Conference ( id, Konferensi Asia–Afrika)—also known as the Bandung Conference—was a meeting of Asian and African states, most of which were newly independent, which took place on 18–2 ...

, the first

Non-Aligned Movement The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is a forum of 120 countries that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc. After the United Nations, it is the largest grouping of states worldwide. The movement originated in the aftermath o ...

event, which was held there in 1955.

Architecture

The present building was designed in 1926 in

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

style by Van Galen and C.P. Wolff Schoemaker, both professors at Technische Hogeschool (today ITB) and famous architects of that time; a further extension was designed in 1940 in

Streamline Moderne Streamline Moderne is an international style of Art Deco architecture and design that emerged in the 1930s. Inspired by aerodynamic design, it emphasized curving forms, long horizontal lines, and sometimes nautical elements. In industrial design ...

style by

Albert Aalbers Albert Frederik Aalbers (December 13, 1897 – 1961) was a Dutch architect who created elegant villas, hotels and office buildings in Bandung, Indonesia during Dutch colonial rule in the 1930s. Albert Aalbers worked in the Netherlands between ...

. The 7500 m² building had Italian marble floors, some saloon and rooms in ''cikenhout'' wooden finishing, and was adorned with crystal lamps on the ceilings.

History

COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Straatbeeld Bandoeng met Sociëteit Concordia TMnr 60018401

The first building on the site at the intersection of

Braga Street Braga Street ( id, Jalan Braga, su, ᮏᮜᮔ᮪ ᮘᮢᮌ, also written ᮏ᮪ᮜ᮪ ᮘᮢᮌ) is a street in the center of Bandung, Indonesia, famous in 1920s colonial Indonesia as a promenade street. A European ambiance of chic cafes, boutiq ...

and Jalan Asia-Africa was constructed in 1895 for the Sociëteit Concordia. In 1926 it was rebuilt by Wolff Schoemacher,

and Van Gallen.Gedung Merdeka
The Sociëteit Concordia was the dance hall, entertainment and social gathering venue for rich people in Bandung and its vicinity. That included plantation owners or employees, officers, officials, and wealthy businessman. During weekends, the building was filled with people enjoying art performances, social dances and dinner. During the

Japanese occupation of Indonesia The Empire of Japan occupied the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) during World War II from March 1942 until after the end of the war in September 1945. It was one of the most crucial and important periods in modern Indonesian history. In May ...

, the building was renamed ''Dai Toa Kaman'' and served as cultural centre. After the Indonesian proclamation of Independence on 17 August 1945, the building was used as headquarters of Indonesian independence fighters against Japanese troops. After the recognition of Indonesian Independence by The Netherlands in 1949, and the formation of federal government of Negara Pasundan, Concordia building was once again used as public gathering hall, for art performances, parties, dances, and gala dinner. In 1954, the government of Indonesia appointed Bandung as the host of

, the Concordia building chosen as the venue of this International conference. At that time Concordia was the largest and grandest hall in Bandung, with strategic location near

Savoy Homann Hotel The Hotel Savoy Homann is a historic four stars hotel located on Asia Afrika Street, Bandung, Indonesia. It was built in 1939, replacing the 19th century Homann Hotel. Designed by the Dutch architect Albert Aalbers, the hotel features art deco ex ...

and Preanger Hotel in the city centre. In early 1955, the building was renovated to meet international conference requirements by Ir. R. Srigati Santoso, and renamed ''Gedung

Merdeka ''Merdeka'' is a term in Indonesian and Malay which means "independent" or " free". It is derived from the Sanskrit ''maharddhika'' (महर्द्धिक) meaning "rich, prosperous, and powerful". In the Malay archipelago, this term ha ...

'' (independence building). The building also served as Indonesian House of Representatives (MPR) convention building. In 1965 the Gedung Merdeka was the venue for the Asian-African Islamic Conference. In 1971 all of the House of Representatives meetings and activities were moved to

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 ...

. In March 1980 the building hosted the 25th anniversary of the Asian-African Conference, and the Asian-African Conference Museum was inaugurated by president

Soeharto 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 ...

References

External links

Museum of the Asian-African Conference
(Official site) {{coord missing, Indonesia Museums in West Java Buildings and structures in Bandung Art Deco architecture in Indonesia Dutch colonial architecture in Indonesia Buildings and structures completed in 1926 Cultural Properties of Indonesia in West Java