The President of the Republic of Indonesia, Dr. H. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, explains in the foreword, that the six presidential palaces in Indonesia “…. are symbols of our unity in diversity, in the purest sense of the word. They have become part of our history”. That might have been one of the reasons why he gave a special permit to take extensive photographs of all premises in all palaces.
But there is a double meaning as well, because five of the six palaces have been designed and built by Dutch architects during the colonial times. Only one, the palace in Tampaksiring in Bali, built by Sukarno, the first President of the Republic, is purely Indonesian.
All palaces are in official uses as residences and places of work for the President. They are very well maintained and rebuilt, as the Second World War had taken a heavy toll.
There are two palaces in Jakarta, the Merdeka Palace and the State Palace.
Merdeka served the Dutch Governor General, then became the official residence of the President of the Republic, as does the State Palace right behind it. Important political decisions have been taken here, therefore these palaces are described extensively, their modest but extremely attractive architecture as well as the historical happenings and their actors.
The Palace in Bogor as well as the Cipanas Palace in the mountains are beautiful to look at in their tropical settings. Extremely attractive photos reflect the splendid beauty of these buildings.
The Palace in Yogyakarta in Central-Java is also of Dutch origin and has a very special value as the first seat of the newly formed Indonesian government. Finally, the Sukarno Palace in Tampaksiring reflects Indonesian architecture at its best in a wonderful surrounding in Bali, very sacred to the Balinese people.
ISBN: 978-979-17057-7-6
Artbook by Asti Kleinsteuber
Languages: Indonesian & English
Format: Hard Cover, 24 x 31 cm, 384 pages,Full Color
Price: IDR 989,800