National Museum Moves 817 Collections to Temporary Storage Post Fire

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Acting Head of the Museums and Cultural Heritage Department of the Education and Culture Ministry, Ahmad Mahendra, said that at least 817 historical collections stored in six rooms of the National Museum were affected by the fire on Saturday, September 16, 2023.

In a press release on Tuesday, September 19, Ahmad claimed he could not yet provide details on how many items in the museum were damaged, including how many were still in intact condition.

“Some of them were undamaged or intact, while others experienced varying degrees of damage,” he said.

He also guaranteed that his side had conducted an accurate inventory of the museum's assets. The evacuation of the affected collections had been underway since Monday, September 18, under the supervision of the police. The officers also made an inventory to ensure that each historical item was accurately recorded and would get the necessary care during the restoration process.

Hundreds of museum collections have been moved to temporary storage rooms. 

When asked about the types of museum assets in the six burned rooms, Ahmad mentioned that there were 817 collections ranging from bronze, ceramics, terracotta, and wood, including miniatures and replicas. 

Located in Central Jakarta, the National Museum which is also renowned as Museum Gajah has 194,000 historical collections.

The Ministry of Education and Culture claimed that the evacuation involved a special team to remove debris and was supervised and directed by the evacuation team. Heavy equipment was also used to clear the rubble following the fire.

SAVERO ARISTIA WIENANTO

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