The Iconic Monas Jakarta

When visiting Jakarta, you must drop in at Monas Jakarta. In fact, Monas or Monumen Nasional or the National Monument is the icon of Jakarta. The monument with 132 meters high becomes the most favorite spot for many visitors in Jakarta. It was built to remember the hassle of Indonesia people in reaching the independence from Holland. It was built on August 17th in 1961 in Soekarno government. Then, it is opened for the public on July 12th in 1975.

The History of National Monument (Monas) Jakarta

In the Holland colonial, the capital of Indonesia is moved from Jakarta to Yogyakarta. In 1949, Jakarta became the capital of Indonesia again. After that moment, the president announced that he will build a monument to remind the hassle of Indonesian people. Besides that, it functions to improve the spirit of patriotism from the future generation. The National Monument Jakarta was designed as well as possible. The fire design of gold reflects the spirit of the Indonesian people to get the independence.

There were many designs offered to the president. However, he did not like them. Then, Frederich Silaban made another design and the president loved it so much. However, the amazing design made this monument spends much money. Because of that, the Soekarno delayed to build the monument. Finally, it is built in 1961 with R.M. Soedarsono as the architect with Friedrich Silaban. The process takes 3 phases. The first was from 1961/1962 to 1964/1965. The second phase was from 1966 to 1968. It took too long because there was the tragedy called as G 30 S PKI. The last phase was from 1969 to 1976. This Jakarta National Monument was officially introduced by the president on July 12th, 1975.

How to Get to Monas Jakarta

As the most iconic building in Jakarta, the National Monument is addressed in a strategic location. So, you can find it easily. If you come from other cities, from the airport of Halim Perdana Kusuma you should continue to go to Cawang UKI with a public transportation and then continue to Cempaka Mas 2 with a bus way. You will be transferred to Cempaka Timur halter and continue to go to Gambir 1 halter with a bus way before you reach Monas Jakarta. From the Gambir 1 halter, you can walk to the National Monument because the distance is near.

If you transit at Soekarno-Hatta airport, you can use a bus to Gambir airport. This is more recommended than you transit at Halim Perdana Kusuma airport because is faster and easier. If you consider using a train, you should transit at Gambir station and then continue to the Jakarta National Monument on foot. If you use a bus, you can stop at the Lebak Bulus terminal. After that, continue the trip using a bus way. There are many ways how to get this place. You can choose your desired way.

The Ticket Prices of Monas Jakarta

The National Monument opens from 08.00 a.m. to 03.00 p.m. every day. However, it is closed on the last Monday every month. The ticket price is also cheap enough so that this destination is appropriate for anyone. For adults, the ticket is priced at 20,000 Rupiah whereas children just need to pay for 10,000 Rupiah. If you want to get the top of this National Monument, you need to pay the extra cost at 7,500 rupiahs for adults and 3,500 rupiahs for children. This is really affordable because you can see the stunning view of Jakarta from the top of Monas.

If you want to visit the National Monument, there are various activities that you can do there. For example, it is very fun to walk or go cycling around. Besides that, you can consider doing exercises in the morning because the people who live around it also often do that. Then, it is very exciting to look around the museum that provides so many memories of Indonesian history before we got independence.

Before you go home, you cannot skip buying souvenirs because there are many people who buy souvenirs. For example, you can buy a miniature of Monas Jakarta, Ondel-ondel, or others. Besides, you can consider eating local foods such as Soto Betawi, ketoprak, gado-gado, etc.