Asia-Africa Conference Museum — Attraction in Bandung City

Gedung Merdeka, located on Jalan Asia Afrika Bandung in 1895 was only a simple building. The building, which its area covered 7500 square meters became a meeting, place for “Societeit Concordia”, a society of Europeans especially Dutch who lived in Bandung and its surrounding.

In 1921, the building that was named as the name of the society, Concordia, was renovated to be the most luxurious, well facilitated, exclusive, and modern “super club” meeting hall in Indonesia by C.P. Wolff Schoemaker with art deco style. In addition, in 1940, for the second time, the building especially the left wing was renovated to be more interesting by A.F. Aalbers with international style architecture. The function of it was a place for recreation.

During Japanese occupation, the name of the building was changed into Dai Toa Kaikan and functioned as a cultural centre. The left wing of the building was named Yamato, a place to have a drink was on fire (1944).

After Indonesia proclaimed its independence (17 August 1945) the building became headquarter of the Indonesian youth in facing the Japanese troops and then became the centre of the municipal government of West Java. From (1946 – 1950), the function of the building again became the place for recreation.

Prior to the Asian-African Conference, the building was renovated and its name was changed into Gedung Merdeka by Indonesian President, Soekarno, on April 7th 1955.

As a result of the 1955 General Election, the Indonesian Constituent Assembly was formed and Gedung Merdeka became the Building of the Constituent Assembly. However, the Assembly was abolished through the Presidential Decree of 5 July 1959 and Gedung Merdeka was used by National Planning Agency in 1959. Later on, this building was used as the Provisional People’s Consultative Assembly from 1960 – 1971. In 1965, the Africa-Asia Islamic Conference was carried out in this building.

After the failed coup of G30S in 1965, Gedung Merdeka was taken over by the Indonesian military and part of the building was used as a prison for political prisoners. In 1966, the management of the building was transferred by the Provincial Government of West Java to the Municipal Government of Bandung. In 1968, the Provisional People’s Consultative Assembly changed the decree of Gedung Merdeka, which stated that the Municipality was only responsible for the main building, while the rest was managed by the Provisional People’s Consultative Assembly. In 1969, the management of the building was taken over by the Provincial Government of West Java from the Municipal Government of Bandung. In 1980, the whole part of the building was presented as the Museum of the...

Now this is one grand historical place in Bandung. This museum is closed on Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays. They open on the other days, but there is a break for praying on Fridays. I recommend booking your tickets online before your visit. They provide a guide, but there is a limited number of guides, so you should also check the time on the website for guided tours. They play a movie which explains the events shown on the museum walls, but there is a limited number of seats in the auditorium, so half of the audience has to stand during the film. The museum is arranged to be one-way, so I suggest you look through the items in the main hall before you go to the movie room. You cannot go backwards once you have passed through the restrooms' alley. And I should say the restrooms are nice. Despite the loud blower sound, they are clean and spacious. There are some seats in the ladies' room where you can rest your feet for a while. When I visited, some of the visitors were lounging and eating in the ladies' room. As it is prohibited to eat or drink inside the museum, this kind of behavior reminds me that understanding of rules are still somewhat far from what is expected in our country. You may take pictures and videos in the hall, but you cannot use flash in...

I here express gratitude and high appreciation to the museum officers and managers who have been maintaining the museum so well. The entrance ticket was free when we visited the Asian-African Conference Museum on Sunday 23 June 2019. Also, the museum gave all the visitors a free guide, a friendly Ibu. It was such a valuable service. The whole museum tour including the video watch was a precious education for me, husband and children. Soekarno was a true nation leader who gave a significant international influence. Yes, wars devastated human lives and must be eliminated. This museum reminds that Indonesia had a very important role in eliminating wars and colonialism in Asia Africa, and with the other nations, contributed to the freedom of other countries back then. The Dasa Sila Bandung also reminded us to respect and live in equality, in peace and in cooperation. Looking at how difficult Indonesian people now accepting differences, going to this museum is one way to learn to it. If you have problems in accepting diversity, please as much as you can, visit museums. Do not forget histories ❤💜💚💙💕. I love Indonesia!...