The heart of Jakarta lies in Medan Merdeka, a sprawling, 75-hectare open square; the third largest in the world. It is an oasis in the very centre of the city, where the parks and fields spread generously across the area, accentuating the plaza’s epic centre piece: Monas, or Monumen Nasional, Indonesia’s towering monolith in honour of its independence.
Once again, after Indonesia gained its independence there was fervour to reclaim the significant landmarks of their oppressors, independence to be manifest into a physical and tangible reality. What could be better than to rebrand the Dutch Koningsplein, or King’s Square, home to colonial ceremony, military parades and marches, to the holy grounds of freedom and liberty.
Indonesia’s first president, Sukarno, renamed the square Medan Merdeka (Merdeka Square) in 1949. However, prior to this the local Indonesian community had already called the square by another name, Lapangan Gambir, after the flowers that grew wild upon the grounds.
The renaming of the square was only the beginning. President Sukarno sought to create a monument to commemorate the struggle of independence, a destination where the entire nation could rally and remember for generations to come. This began an almost 20 year period of planning and development: a planning committee was established in 1954, construction began in 1961 and the monument was completed 12 July 1975, inaugurated by Indonesia’s second president, Suharto.
The design of Monas, which stands at an impressive 132-metres, was conceptualised by President Sukarno and brought to reality by architect R.M. Soedarsono. It has a lot deep, hidden symbolism. Why such a shape? This stems from the Hindu philosophy of dualism, with the monolith symbolic of the lingga (the masculine) and the base the yoni (the feminine), which together represent birth, i.e. of a new nation, and indeed balance.
Monas’ plinth dimensions are equally symbolic, paying homage to the date of Indonesia’s declaration of independence, ’17-08-1945’. The height of Monas’ golden flame is 17m, the height of Monas’ plinth is 8m and the width of the plinth base is 45m. Now, the flame atop Monas is also an impressive feat, coated in 35kg worth of gold — topped up to 50kg in 1995 to celebrate Indonesia’s 50 years of independence.
Other than being a truly humbling sight to behold, Monas offers visitors a range of experiences including a lift to the top of the monument and a history museum and gallery to explore. All around Merdeka Square, Indonesia’s most important institutions can be found, including the presidential palace complex, National Library, National Gallery, ministry buildings and more.
Monas
Merdeka Square, Jalan Lapangan Monas
Gambir, Central Jakarta,10110
@monumen.nasional
