National Museum of Indonesia in Jakarta
Asia

National Museum of Indonesia

Jakarta · Indonesia · Founded 1778

Museum Nasional ('Gedung Gajah') — Indonesia's oldest and largest museum, with collections from across the archipelago.

About National Museum of Indonesia

Founded in 1778 by the Batavian Society of Arts and Sciences, the National Museum of Indonesia is one of the oldest in Southeast Asia. The bronze elephant gifted by King Chulalongkorn of Siam in 1871 gives it its nickname Gedung Gajah, the Elephant Building.

Its collections cover prehistory, ethnography, ceramics, numismatics, and Hindu-Buddhist sculpture from across Indonesia, with a notable treasure room of royal gold.

Collections & Highlights

Hindu-Buddhist statuary from Central Java
Ethnographic galleries on Indonesian peoples
Treasure Room of royal gold and jewellery
Bronze Elephant courtyard sculpture

Frequently Asked Questions

A small ask before you go

You've just explored one of humanity's greatest collections of beauty. Art has the power to move us, inspire us, and change how we see the world. But millions of people will never see beauty like this — not because the art isn't there, but because they can't see at all.

Preventable blindness, caused by conditions like cataracts and trachoma, affects people of all ages across the world's poorest communities. A small gift — for the cost of a museum ticket — can provide a simple surgery to restore someone's sight and transform their life.