Just east of Merdeka Sq, Lapangan Banteng has some of Jakarta’s best colonial architecture. The twin spired Catholic cathedral was built in 1901. Directly opposite is Jakarta’s principal place of Muslim worship. The striking, modernist Mesjid Istiqlal , highlighted by geometrically grated windows, was designed by Catholic architect Frederich Silaban and completed in 1978. The mosque has five levels, representing the five pillars of Islam; its dome is 45m across and its minaret tops 90m.
During Ramadan more than 200,000 worshippers can be accommodated here. Non-Muslim visitors are welcome. You have to sign in first and then you’ll be shown around by an English-speaking guide (who will expect a tip).
To the east of Lapangan Banteng is the Mahkamah Agung , built in 1848, and next door is the colonial Ministry of Finance Building , formerly the Witte Huis (White House) which dates from 1809 and was the administrative centre for the Dutch.
To the southwest is Gedung Pancasila , which is an imposing neoclassical building built in 1830 as the Dutch army commander’s residence. It later became the meeting hall of the Volksraad (People’s Council), but is best known as the place where Sukarno made his famous Pancasila speech in 1945, laying the foundation for Indonesia’s constitution. Just west along Jl Pejambon from Gedung Pancasila is the Emanuel Church , another classic building dating from 1893.
