Also known as Museum Kesejarahan Jakarta, the Jakarta History Museum is housed in the old town hall of Batavia, a stately Dutch colonial structure that was once the epicentre of an empire. This bell-towered building, built in 1627, served the administration of the city and was also used by the city law courts. Today it’s a poorly presented museum of peeling plasterwork and lots of heavy, carved ebony and teak furniture from the Dutch period.
But you will find the odd exquisite piece, such as the stunning black granite sculpture of Kali, a Hindu goddess associated with death and destruction. There are long-standing plans to renovate the museum, but work had been delayed at the time of research.
