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Monument of National

The monument of National, which is known better as Monas [Monumen Nasional], is one of many monuments that the Indonesians built to remind them of the struggle of Indonesian soldiers to fight the Dutch for the independence of Indonesia. Monas was built to inspire the people of Indonesia and arouse patriotism to the coming generations. Monas is a historical monument.

The monument that soars up high symbolizes lingga [alu "rice pestle" or antan] that represents the culture of Indonesia. The terrace symbolizes yoni [rice barn]. Alu and lumbung are house hold instruments that almost all houses in Indonesia have.

The building of Monas was begun is August,1959, on an 80 Ha area of land. The architects were Soedarsono and Frederich Silaban, and their consultant was Ir. Rooseno. The Monument was opened on August 17th, 1961 by The President of  The Republic of Indonesia, Soekarno, and officially opened for public on July 12th, 1975.

Monas is special for its unique shape. An obelisk made of marble shaped lingga yoni as tall as 137m. At the top of Monas, there is a cup that holds the 14,5 tons of bronze torch flame covered with 35 kg of gold. The flame or torch is the symbol of the Indonesian soldiers' struggle for freedom. The top terrace is an 11x11 that can accommodate 50 people. Around the elevator, it has emergency stairs made of iron.

From the terrace of the top of Monas, visitors can enjoy the view of the tumult of Jakarta. At the south, visitor can see Mount Salak stands tall. At the north, they can see the open seas and the small islands. At the west, they can see Soekarno-Hatta Airport and planes that are taking off or landing. At the top terrace, 17 more metera up, there is a 14,5 tons flame or torch made of bronze with 6 m diameters that 77 united parts.



Location: The National Monument is located in Jalan Medan Merdeka, Central Jakarta.

Access: Monas is a tourism place located in the center of the city. This makes the access easy. Visitors can go there by city bus or personal vehicle. The Monument and the Museum are opened everyday, starts from 09.00 - 16.00 WIB [local time].

Besides enjoying the beautiful view Monas and at the top of Monas, visitors can also enjoy other tourism places around Monas. There is Monas Park where visitors can sit back and relax in. The park has a fountain and a statue of Prince Diponegoro [he was ane of Indonesia national independence heroes] riding a horse made of bronze. Under the ground floor of Monas, there is also a national historical museum that can accommodate 500 people. Not far from there, there are hotels and restaurants for the visitors to stay and eat.