Cultural properties of Indonesia are those items defined by Indonesian law as of "important value for history, science, and culture", and include both man-made artefacts and natural objects. The cultural properties number more than 8,000 and include ancient

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

and

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

temples A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

, mosques, historic colonial buildings, forts, art galleries,

national parks A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individua ...

and beaches. A number of the sites are

World Heritage Sites A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

. The current regime for the protection and promotion of the cultural properties of

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 ...

( id, benda cagar budaya) is governed by the Act of the Republic of Indonesia No. 5, 1992, concerning Items of Cultural Property. Such measures are to be understood against the background of Section 32 of the 1945 Constitution, according to which "The Government develops the National Culture of Indonesia". Regulation no. 10 of 1993 prescribes the registration of items of cultural property, which is to be undertaken by the relevant second level administrative area. As of 2008, some 8,232 immovable cultural properties and heritage sites have been identified, the last being those places in which items of cultural property are contained.

Legal basis

Cultural properties in Indonesia have been protected since at least 1931, when the colonial government of the Dutch East Indies passed Ordinance Number 19 of 1931 regarding Monuments, which was later amended with another ordinance in 1934. Since 1992, cultural properties have been protected under Act of the Republic of Indonesia Number 5 of 1992 regarding Cultural Properties (), which was passed by President Suharto on 21 March. This new law was passed as the old, colonial laws were considered no longer applicable. Article I of the act defines a cultural property as of "important value for history, science, and culture", being either a man-made object or group of objects, movable (''bergerak'') or immovable (''tidak bergerak''), aged at least fifty years which has or have high historical value,; or natural objects with high historical value. Said objects, under Articles IV and V, generally belong to and are under the domain of the national government. However, Article VI allows private ownership under certain conditions. The act then goes on to regulate the search for and discovery of historical objects, as well as their keeping and maintenance. Under Chapter VII of the act, there are several criminal offences related to cultural properties. The intentional damage, theft, relocation, and/or disfigurement of cultural properties, under Article XXVI, is a felony offence punishable by up to ten years in prison and/or a maximum fine of Rp. 100 million (US$ 10,500). Illegal searches for cultural properties, under Article XVII, is a felony offence which can be punished by up to five years in prison and/or a Rp. 50 million (US$ 5,250) fine. Persons who neglect to maintain cultural objects, as required in Article 10 subsection 1, face a criminal misdemanour charge carrying a maximum of one year in prison and a Rp. 10 million (US$ 1,050) fine. Indonesia's cultural properties are managed and studied by their respective provincial authorities known as ''Balai Pelestarian Cagar Budaya'' (BPCB). The BPCB does not have an official English translation, and usually remains untranslated when referred to in documents in other languages. Nevertheless, BPCB means "Centre for the Conservation of Cultural Properties."

Objects

As of 2008, some 8,232 immovable cultural properties and heritage sites have been identified, the last being those places in which items considered cultural properties are contained. Several examples follow below: Gedung Kesenian Jakarta

Borobudur Temple Borobudur, also transcribed Barabudur ( id, Candi Borobudur, jv, ꦕꦤ꧀ꦝꦶꦧꦫꦧꦸꦝꦸꦂ, Candhi Barabudhur) is a 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist temple in Magelang Regency, not far from the town of Muntilan, in Central Java, Indonesi ...

(, in Magelang, Central Java * Bosscha District (), in

Lembang Lembang is a town and administrative village of West Bandung Regency in the province of West Java on Java, Indonesia. The town has about 17,000 inhabitants (at census 2010). The population of the Lembang District was 173,350 at the 2010 Census. ...

West Java West Java ( id, Jawa Barat, su, ᮏᮝ ᮊᮥᮜᮧᮔ᮪, romanized ''Jawa Kulon'') is a province of Indonesia on the western part of the island of Java, with its provincial capital in Bandung. West Java is bordered by the province of Banten ...

Cathedral Church A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

(), in Jakarta *

Demak Great Mosque Demak Great Mosque ( id, Masjid Agung Demak, Pegon: مَسْجِد اَڮَوڠ دَمَق) is one of the oldest mosques in Indonesia, located in the center town of Demak, Central Java, Indonesia. The mosque is believed to be built by the ''Wa ...

(), in

Demak Demak is on the north coast of Central Java province, on the island of Java, Indonesia. * Demak, Demak, modern-day large town * Demak Sultanate, sixteenth century sultanate * Demak Regency Demak ( jv, ꦢꦼꦩꦏ꧀) is a regency located in t ...

, Central Java *

Jakarta Art Building , 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'' ...

(), in Jakarta * Haji Usmar Ismail Cinema Building (), in Jakarta * Kudus Mosque (), in Kudus, Central Java * Kuta Beach District (), in

Badung Badung is a regency of Bali, Indonesia. Its regency seat is in the upland town of Mangupura. It covers districts to the west of the provincial capital of Denpasar, and it has a land area of 418.52 km2. The regency had a population of 5 ...

, Bali * Ismail Marzuki Cultural Centre (), in Jakarta * Istiqlal Mosque (), in Jakarta * National Gallery of Indonesia (), in Jakarta * National Monument (), in Jakarta * National Press Monument (), in Surakarta * National Museum (), in Jakarta * Nusa Dua Tourist District (), in Nusa Dua, Bali * Oranje Fortress (), in

Ternate Ternate is a city in the Indonesian province of North Maluku and an island in the Maluku Islands. It was the ''de facto'' provincial capital of North Maluku before Sofifi on the nearby coast of Halmahera became the capital in 2010. It is off the ...

North Maluku North Maluku ( id, Maluku Utara) is a province of Indonesia. It covers the northern part of the Maluku Islands, bordering the Pacific Ocean to the north, the Halmahera Sea to the east, the Molucca Sea to the west, and the Seram Sea to the sout ...

* Prambanan Temple Complex (), in Klaten, Central Java * Sam Poo Kong Temple (''Kelenteng Sam Poo Kong''), in Semarang, Central Java *

Fort Rotterdam Fort Rotterdam is a 17th-century fort in Makassar on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. It is a Dutch fort built on top of an existing fort of the Gowa Kingdom. The first fort on the site was constructed by the a local sultan in around 1634, ...

(), in Makassar, South Sulawesi * Sumbawa King's Palace (), in

Sumbawa Sumbawa is an Indonesian island, located in the middle of the Lesser Sunda Islands chain, with Lombok to the west, Flores to the east, and Sumba further to the southeast. Along with Lombok, it forms the province of West Nusa Tenggara, but th ...

West Nusa Tenggara West Nusa Tenggara ( id, Nusa Tenggara Barat – NTB) is a province of Indonesia. It comprises the western portion of the Lesser Sunda Islands, with the exception of Bali which is its own province. Mataram, on Lombok, is the capital and largest ...

* Muhammadan Mosque (''Masjid Muhammadan''), in

Padang Padang () is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of West Sumatra. With a Census population of 1,015,000 as of 2022, it is the 16th most populous city in Indonesia and the most populous city on the west coast of Sumatra. Th ...

West Sumatra West Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Barat) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. The province has an area of , with a population of 5,534,472 at the 2020 cen ...

Maimun Palace Maimoon Palace or Maimun Palace ( id, Istana Maimun) is an '' istana'' (royal palace) of the Sultanate of Deli and a well-known landmark in Medan, the capital city of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia. Today, it serves as a museum. The name is the Ara ...

(''Istana Maimun''), in

Medan Medan (; English: ) is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of North Sumatra, as well as a regional hub and financial centre of Sumatra. According to the National Development Planning Agency, Medan is one of the four mai ...

, North Sumatra *

Tjong A Fie Mansion Tjong A Fie Mansion () is a two-story mansion in Medan, North Sumatra, built by Tjong A Fie (1860–1921) a Hakka merchant who came to own much of the land in Medan through his plantations, later becoming 'Majoor der Chineezen' (leader of t ...

(''Rumah Tjong A Fie''), in Medan, North Sumatra * Sri Mariamman Temple (''Kuil Sri Mariamman''), in Medan, North SumatraA Hindu Temple in Indonesia * Siak Sri Indrapura Palace (''Istana Siak Sri Indrapura''), in Siak,

Riau Riau is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the central eastern coast of Sumatra along the Strait of Malacca. The province shares land borders with North Sumatra to the northwest, West Sumatra to the west, and Jambi to the south. Acco ...

References

{{Indonesia topics Historic sites in Indonesia Indonesian culture Law of Indonesia Landmarks in Indonesia

Legal basis

Objects

See also

References