Wayang Museum — Attraction in Jakarta

Wayang museum or shadow puppet museum is a gallery to show up puppet, especially from Indonesia, and other country. At first the building used by this museum was named De Oude Hollandsche Kerk or the Old Dutch Church, and it was said that the church was built at the first time in 1640. Then in 1732 had been repaired and changed its name to De Nieuwe Hollandse Kerk or the Dutch New Church. This building lasted until 1808, then destroyed by an earthquake that occurred in the same year. Now at the site of the former ruins, a building was built which is now called the puppet museum building and then its use and designation was inaugurated as a museum on August 13, 1975. This museum has various types of puppets, both types of Indonesian puppets and various kinds of puppet or dolls collections from around the world. In this museum, we will see collections of wayang kulit, wayang golek, collections of puppets and puppets from neighboring countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, Suriname, China, Vietnam, France, India and Cambodia, including a collection of gamelan sets and also puppet paintings. In addition, we can also see a collection of plates as a sign of the gravestone of Jan Pieterszoon Coen. And also a puppet theater and workshops is held regularly at this Museum. The story usually come ftom Mahabharata ot Ramayana. So it is quite interesting to visit the world of puppetry in Jakarta Puppet Museum. Well, why not. It's good for our family to have insight from our...

The museum building occupies the site of a church which was built in 1640, under the name of the Old Dutch Church. In 1732, the church was renovated and the name was changed into the New Dutch Church (Dutch: De Nieuwe Hollandsche Kerk). In 1808, an earthquake destroyed the church. Later in 1912, a building was constructed in the Neo-Renaissance style on the site, which initially functioned as a warehouse belonging to Geo Wehry & Co. In 1938, the building was renovated, following Dutch colonial architecture. The garden of the Wayang Museum, located on the former yard of the Dutch church, was the funeral site of General Governor Jan Pieterszoon Coen. Later, the building was bought by the Batavia Society of Arts and Sciences, an institution dealing with Indonesian culture and science. The institution then transferred this building to the Old Batavia Foundation and on December 22, 1939, it was made a museum under the name of Old Batavia Museum. In 1957, after the independence of Indonesia, the building was transferred to the Institute of Indonesian Culture and on September 17, 1962, to the Ministry of Education and Culture. On June 23, 1968, the DKI Jakarta Administration made the building into the Wayang Museum; the inauguration took place on...

As someone who loves learning about culture, my visit to the Wayang Museum in Jakarta was both fun and educational. Located in the Old Town (Kota Tua), the museum is easy to find and housed in a charming colonial-style building.

Inside, I was amazed by the huge collection of wayang puppets. There were wayang kulit (shadow puppets), wayang golek (wooden puppets), and masks, each beautifully crafted. What surprised me most was the variety—not just from Indonesia but also from other countries like Malaysia and India. It really showed how puppetry connects cultures.

The museum taught me a lot about the stories and traditions behind wayang performances, which are such an important part of Javanese and Balinese culture. Even though I don’t speak much Bahasa Indonesia, I could still enjoy the displays, but I wish there were more English descriptions for international visitors.

The museum wasn’t crowded when I went, which made it easy to take my time and admire the details of the puppets. The entry fee was affordable, and I felt it was well worth it.

The building could use a little updating, and the lighting was a bit dim in some areas. But overall, I enjoyed the visit and would recommend it to anyone interested in...