Indonesia to revitalize nearly 200 museums, heritage sites

3 hours ago

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia’s Ministry of Culture will revitalize nearly 200 museums and cultural heritage sites this year, Minister of Culture Fadli Zon said in Jakarta on Wednesday.

“Nearly 200 sites will be revitalized this year. They range from museums to major royal palaces, such as Maimun Palace, the Surakarta Palace, and several other palaces in Kalimantan and Sulawesi,” he said during a discussion event.

He added that provincial museums are a key focus, particularly regarding their exhibition displays, noting that while many of these museums have great artifacts, their displays fall short.

The revitalization program is deemed essential to make museums more appealing to younger generations, turning them into modern, attractive, and comfortable educational hubs.

Proper exhibition displays are also essential for museums to fully realize their role as hubs for cultural and historical preservation.

Fadli expressed his appreciation to the North Sulawesi governor for prioritizing the revitalization of the provincial museum—which is now able to attract impressive numbers of visitors—through the province’s regional budget allocation.

However, he noted that many other regional heads still pay little attention to provincial museums or cultural parks, which could otherwise serve as dual-purpose spaces for education and heritage tourism.

“These provincial museums and cultural parks actually receive Special Allocation Funds (DAK) from the Ministry of Culture, ranging from Rp1 billion to Rp3 billion per year,” he explained.

He expressed hope that regional leaders across Indonesia would gain a better understanding of these funds and effectively utilize them to revitalize local museums and cultural parks, which he said are vital local hubs for advancing regional culture.