Selamat Datang Monument (''Selamat Datang'' is Indonesian for "Welcome"), also known as the ''Monumen Bundaran HI'' or ''Monumen Bunderan HI'' ( for 'Hotel Indonesia roundabout'), is a monument located in
Central Jakarta,
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 ...
. Completed in 1962 by sculptor
Edhi Sunarso, the Selamat Datang Monument is one of the historic landmarks of Jakarta.
History and design
![Malam Tanpa Kendaraan 2012-13 - Monumen Selamat Datang - panoramio](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Malam_Tanpa_Kendaraan_2012-13_-_Monumen_Selamat_Datang_-_panoramio.jpg)
During the 1960s, President
Sukarno ordered several constructions and city beautification projects in preparation for the
Asian Games IV. These activities included the construction of the Ikada Sport Complex (in what is now
Gelora Bung Karno
Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium ( id, Stadion Utama Gelora Bung Karno; literally "Bung Karno Sports Arena Main Stadium"), formerly Senayan Main Stadium and Gelora Senayan Main Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium located at the center of the Ge ...
Sport Complex) and several statues, including the Selamat Datang Monument, designated as ''Tugu Selamat Datang''.
The design of the statue was sketched by
Henk Ngantung
Hendrik Hermanus Joel Ngantung (1 March 1927 – 12 December 1991), better known as Henk Ngantung was an Indonesian autodidact painter and politician of Minahasan descent. He was appointed Deputy Governor by President Sukarno and then became Gove ...
, at that time the vice governor of Jakarta. The sculpting of the statue was done by sculptor Edhi Sunarso.
Trubus Soedarsono, a close advisor to Sukarno on fine arts matters, was the coordinator of the project. The statue depicts two bronze statues of a man and a woman, waving in a welcoming gesture. The woman holds a
flower bouquet
A flower bouquet is a collection of flowers in a creative arrangement. Flower bouquets can be arranged for the decor of homes or public buildings, or may be handheld. Handheld bouquets are classified by several different popular shapes and styl ...
in her left hand. The design evokes similarity with the style of Soviet sculptor
Vera Mukhina
Vera Ignatyevna Mukhina (russian: Ве́ра Игна́тьевна Му́хина; lv, Vera Muhina; french: Vera Moukhina; – 6 October 1953) was a prominent Soviet sculptor and painter. She was nicknamed "the queen of Soviet sculpture".
B ...
and was heavy with
socialist realism
Socialist realism is a style of idealized realistic art that was developed in the Soviet Union and was the official style in that country between 1932 and 1988, as well as in other socialist countries after World War II. Socialist realism is c ...
. Sukarno was said to have contributed to the design of the statue. Henk Ngantung wrote that initially the Welcome Monument was to be named "Indonesian people greet their future".
The two figures of the Welcome Monument are five metres from head to toe, or seven metres from the tip of the raised arm to toe. The two figures stand atop a pedestal. In total, the monument is about thirty meters above the ground. The Selamat Datang Monument symbolizes the openness of the Indonesian nation to visitors to the Asian Games IV.
The construction of the statue was started on August 17, 1961. During the construction of the statue, Edhi Sunarso was visited by Sukarno, US Ambassador to Indonesia
Howard P. Jones
Howard Palfrey Jones (January 2, 1899 – September 1973) was a United States diplomat whose career was focused on Southeast and East Asia. Between March 1958 and April 1965, Jones served as the United States Ambassador to Indonesia during the last ...
, and other ministers in his studio.
[yulian.firdaus.or.id - Monumen Selamat Datang](_blank)
/ref>
''Bundaran Hotel Indonesia''
The Selamat Datang Monument is located in the center of a roundabout known as ''Bundaran Hotel Indonesia'' or ''Bundaran HI'' (Indonesian for "Hotel Indonesia Roundabout"). It is so named because of its proximity to Hotel Indonesia
The Hotel Indonesia Kempinski Jakarta is one of the oldest and best known hotels in Jakarta, Indonesia. Located in Central Jakarta, it was one of the first 5-star hotels in South-East Asia and remains a major landmark of Jakarta. Its fame is of ...
. Other accepted spelling is ''Bunderan HI'', which is closer to local Javanese- Betawi language unique to Jakarta. The roundabout is strategically located in the heart of Jakarta, right in the center of Jakarta's main avenue, Jalan M.H. Thamrin, on its intersection with Jalan Imam Bonjol, Jalan Sutan Syahrir and Jalan Kebon Kacang. At its completion, Hotel Indonesia and its roundabout is the gateway for visitors of Jakarta. The roundabout features a round pond with fountains.
In 2002, ''Bundaran Hotel Indonesia'' was restored by PT Jaya Konstruksi Manggala Pratama. The restoration introduced new fountains, new design of the pool, and new lighting. Today after the reformation era
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
, the paved plaza surrounds the pond has become a popular spot for civic demonstrations. Every Sunday morning during Jakarta's Car-Free Days, the roundabout is filled with people doing jogging, bicycling, street photography
Street photography (also sometimes called candid photography) is photography conducted for art or enquiry that features unmediated chance encounters and random incidents within public places. Although there is a difference between street and ca ...
, as well as temporary street vendors.
See also
* Welcome Rotonda
The Welcome Rotonda, officially Mabuhay Rotonda, is a roundabout in Quezon City in the Philippines. It is located a few meters from Quezon City's border with Manila, at the intersection of E. Rodriguez, Sr. Boulevard, Mayon Avenue, Quezon Avenue, ...
- a similar roundabout and monument in Quezon City
Quezon City (, ; fil, Lungsod Quezon ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read in Filipino as Kyusi), is the List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populatio ...
, Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila (often shortened as Metro Manila; fil, Kalakhang Maynila), officially the National Capital Region (NCR; fil, link=no, Pambansang Punong Rehiyon), is the capital region, seat of government and one of three List of metrop ...
References
Cited works
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Buildings and structures completed in 1962
Monuments and memorials in Indonesia
Post-independence architecture of Indonesia
Buildings and structures in Jakarta
Central Jakarta