Museum Nasional Indonesia

A giant bronze elephant stands guard outside Jakarta’s Museum Nasional Indonesia, a landmark that has been collecting the archipelago’s past since the 19th century. The museum began in 1778 with the Batavia Society of Art and Science and grew into Indonesia’s national museum. Its vast collection covers archaeology, ethnography, ceramics, coins, textiles and traditional arts from across Indonesia and beyond. Hindu-Buddhist sculptures, ancient gold objects and everyday items reveal the many cultures that have shaped the archipelago, while the museum’s two buildings offer very different settings for exploring thousands of years of Indonesian history.