23. September 2025
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Museums & Exhibitions

Batavia Cemetery / Inscription Museum (Museum Taman Prasasti)

Florian Buechtingby Florian Buechting

Museum Taman Prasasti

50,000 IDR
Museum Taman Prasasti
4.2

Rating

 4.2/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Very interesting look to the history of Jakarta
  • Peaceful park in the vibrant city
  • Nice staff

I did not have too much time in Jakarta, when I visited Indonesia in October 2024. On top of that I struggled with the humid heat, so that I limited my time at outdoor attractions during my trip. Nonetheless, the Museum Taman Prasasti felt too tempting. The museum is also known as the Inscription Museum or simply the Batavia Cemetery (Batavia is the former Dutch East India name of the city which is nowadays known of Jakarta). The museum is much more than just a cemetery, it also tells you a lot about the history of Indonesia from a special perspective. Here is my review.

 

Museum Taman Prasasti – Location & Admission

The museum is located in the heart of Jakarta. The closest attractions are the National Monument and the Indonesian National Museum. The park around the National Moment was closed during my visit – otherwise, you could cross it from Gambir train station. At the Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat street, there are also multiple bus stops. I went to the museum cemetery by Grab.

The museum is open every day apart from Mondays from 9:00 to 15:00. Locals (adult) pay 10,000 IDR, roughly 0.50 EUR, during the week and 15,000 IDR during the week end. For foreign tourists the general price is 50,000 IDR, i.e. roughly 2.50 EUR.

 

Museum Taman Prasasti – The Visit

The museum has in fact originally been a cemetery. Especially famous Dutch persons have been buried there. The two key persons typically named are Olivia Mariamne Raffles (the wife of Thomas Stamford Raffles) and the Indonesian activist Soe Hok Gie. As the cemetery has been built in 1795, it is regarded being the oldest modern cemetery of the world.

I liked the park for various reasons. First of all, looking at all the gravestones is really impressing. There is a certain Dutch majority, but you also run into other countrymen, non-Christan religions. I also liked exploring all the gravestones and statues in display. Finally, it is simply a quiet and peaceful park. Especially in the vibrant, loud, and sometimes hectic Jakarta, this is definitely a nice perk.

Apart from the gravestones and statues, there are also a few other exhibits, which deal with funerals. For example, there are a few carriages and coffins rather close to the entrance.

 

Museum Taman Prasasti – Services

The staff in the museum was friendly and helpful. At the beginning of my visit, I got a brief overview of the exhibits.

 

Museum Taman Prasasti – My View

I really liked my visit at the Museum Taman Prasasti. It tells you a lot about the Dutch East India history of Jakarta and is also a really nice place to hang out and relax. The museum is definitely not on the top of the travel guides, but I really appreciated and enjoyed my visit.

 

Indonesia on Flyctory.com

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