, image = Gedung Kesenian Jakarta, 2018.jpg , image_alt = , caption = Front entrance of ''Gedung Kesenian Jakarta'' , former_names = ''Batavia Schouwburg'' (Dutch colonial era), ''Sin'tsu Cekizyoo'' (Japanese occupation), ''Gedung Komidi'' , alternate_names = , map_type = , map_alt = , map_caption = , building_type = Opera house , architectural_style = Indische Empire style,

Neoclassical architecture Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...

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Sawah Besar Sawah Besar is a district (''kecamatan'') of Central Jakarta, Indonesia. Its neighborhoods are among the most historic, containing the 1820-established Pasar Baru ("New Market"), the new colonial city – Weltevreden – and the old course ...

Central Jakarta Central Jakarta ( id, Jakarta Pusat) is one of the five administrative cities () which form the Special Capital Region of Jakarta. It had 902,973 inhabitants according to the 2010 censusBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and 1,056,896 at the 2 ...

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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 ...

, coordinates = , altitude = , start_date = , completion_date = , inauguration_date = 1821 , demolition_date = , height = , diameter = , other_dimensions = , floor_count = , floor_area = , main_contractor = , architect = J.C. Schultze , structural_engineer = , services_engineer = , civil_engineer = , other_designers = , quantity_surveyor = , awards = , public_transit = Pasar Baru , website = , references = The Jakarta Art Building (), historically known as ''Schouwburg Weltevreden'', is a concert hall in

, built during the colonial period in

Batavia, Dutch East Indies Batavia was the capital of the Dutch East Indies. The area corresponds to present-day Jakarta, Indonesia. Batavia can refer to the city proper or its suburbs and hinterland, the Ommelanden, which included the much-larger area of the Residency ...

History

The idea for the creation of a theater in Batavia (the colonial name for Jakarta) came from the Governor-General of Batavia at that time,

Herman Willem Daendels Herman Willem Daendels (21 October 1762 – 2 May 1818) was a Dutch revolutionary, general and politician who served as the 36th Governor General of the Dutch East Indies between 1808 and 1811. Early life Born in Hattem, Netherlands, on 21 Octob ...

. This idea was realized by

Stamford Raffles Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles (5 July 1781 – 5 July 1826) was a British statesman who served as the Lieutenant-Governor of the Dutch East Indies between 1811 and 1816, and Lieutenant-Governor of Bencoolen between 1818 and 1824. He is ...

, who was known for his passion for the study and preservation of local culture. In 1814 Raffles ordered the construction of a simple bamboo theatre near Waterlooplein (a square in Jakarta, now ''Lapangan Banteng''), under the name "Military Theater Venue". It was built by English soldiers and had a capacity of 250 people. This first theater in Batavia was used from 1811 to 1816 for the entertainment of British soldiers. In August 1816, the English gave the Indies back to the

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...

and Batavia was under the governorship of the Netherlands once more. Performances were again held in the building on April 21, 1817, by groups of Dutch amateur performers. left, Gedung Kesenian Jakarta in the late 19th century In 1820 the bamboo theater began to show signs of deterioration, and in 1821, supported by the Dutch colonial government, it was replaced with a more permanent structure. The architect chosen to design the building was J.C. Schultze (who also designed the

Harmony Society, Batavia The Harmony Society () was an elite social club in Batavia, Dutch East Indies. It was the oldest clubhouse in Asia when it was demolished. The construction of the group's building included the former bricks of the wall of Old Batavia. It was demol ...

building. The contractor was Lie Atjie, who took material from the ''spinhuis'' in the old town area to use for the new theater. Construction took 14 months. The new building was designed in

Neoclassical style Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassicism, Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The pr ...

and was called ''Schouwburg Weltevreden'', also popularly known as ''Gedung Komedi'' ("Comedy building"). Inauguration was planned for October 1821 but had to be postponed until December 7 because of a

cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...

epidemic. The first performance in the building was Shakespeare's

Othello ''Othello'' (full title: ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'') is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cypru ...

. During the mid 19th century, the development of ''Schouwburg Weltevreden'' was slow, and it had difficulty making a profit, because Batavia lacked European female opera singers and did not have a complete orchestra. The government took over the theater in 1848, when the private company failed, and held it until 1892. In 1911 its administration was assigned to the city of Batavia. At first, lighting inside the building was done using candles and kerosene lamps. Gas light came in 1864. Electricity was first used inside the building in 1882, but gas light was still used outside until 1910. In 1926, during Indonesia's period of National Awakening, the building was used by the local Youth Alliance for the first ''Kongres Pemoeda'' (Youth Congress). During the Japanese occupation from 1942 to 1945, the building was used temporarily as a military headquarters. In April 1943 it was used as a theater under the name ''Sin'tsu Cekizyoo'' (). During the independence era the building was used as a meeting place for a group of youth artists known as ''Seniman Merdeka'', ("Independent Artists"), among whom were

Rosihan Anwar Rosihan Anwar (10 May 1922 – 14 April 2011) was a renowned Indonesian journalist and author. Rosihan Anwar was born in Kubang Nan Dua, West Sumatra. Rosihan received his early education at HIS and MULO in Padang. He continued his studies at A ...

Usmar Ismail Usmar Ismail (20 March 1921 – 2 January 1971) was an Indonesian film director, author, journalist and revolutionary of Minangkabau descent. He was widely regarded as the native Indonesian pioneer of the cinema of Indonesia. Biography ...

, El Hakim, and HB Jassin. On August 29, 1945, twelve days after the official declaration of independence of Indonesia, the first president of Indonesia,

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 ...

, inaugurated the

Central Indonesian National Committee The Central Indonesian National Committee, ( id, Komite Nasional Indonesia Pusat) or KNIP, was a body appointed to assist the president of the newly independent Indonesia. Originally purely advisory, it later gained assumed legislative functions. ...

, which had its first meeting in the building. In 1951 the building was used by the Faculty of Economy and Law of Indonesia University. And from 1957 to 1961, the building was used by the Indonesian National Theater Academy. The building was again changed its name to ''Bioskop Diana'' (Diana Theater) in 1968 and a year later an institution for the building was established under the leadership of Brigadier General Pimgadie. In 1970, the institution transformed the building into a cinema showing Chinese movies. It was known during this period as the City Theater. In 1984 a LawSK Gubernur KDKI Jakarta tahun 1984 was enacted to return the building to its original function. It was renovated at a cost of 3 billion

rupiah The rupiah (symbol: Rp; currency code: IDR) is the official currency of Indonesia. It is issued and controlled by Bank Indonesia. The name "rupiah" is derived from the Sanskrit word for silver, (). Sometimes, Indonesians also informally use the ...

. On September 5, 1987, it was renamed the ''Gedung Kesenian Jakarta'', replacing the former name ''Gedung Kesenian Pasar Baru''.

Facility

The building features two open halls (one on each side), the main concert room with a balcony (capacity: 475 people), a stage measuring , and a "loge", which is basically an empty place to the right and left of the spectators, where five seats could be installed if required.

References

External links

{{authority control Opera houses in Indonesia Colonial architecture in Jakarta Tourist attractions in Jakarta Cultural Properties of Indonesia in Jakarta Theatres completed in 1821 Music venues completed in 1821 Central Jakarta

History

Facility

See also

References

External links