The Fort Vredeburg Museum Yogyakarta is a colonial fortbuilt by the Dutch East Indies colonial government. This fort is located in theheart of Yogyakarta, and is located close to many important landmarks such asMalioboro Street, Yogyakarta palace, and Beringharjo market.
This fort was built in the 18th century gradually. Since itsconstruction, Fort Vredeburg has undergone many renovations and has evenchanged its name. Here are some facts about the Fort Vredeburg Museum.
Strategic location
Fort Vredeburg Museum is visited by many tourists because ofits strategic location. This Benteng is located at the end of the legendaryMalioboro Street, with very good access. Most visitors come here to enjoy theatmosphere of Malioboro. Tourists can also reach many other popular touristattractions in the city of Yogyakarta from this castle museum.
History
After the foundation of the new palace of Jogjakarta, the government ordered the construction of a fort in Yogyakarta. It was provided by Sultan Hamengkubuwono I in 1760.
Initially the fort was only simple wooden fort with four bastions. 7 years later, the fort was expanded and was built more permanently by Dutch architects; Frans Haak. The fort was finally completed in 1787. The fort was named Fort Rustenburg (resting fort).
A century later, the fortress was destroyed by theearthquake. The fort was later rebuilt and renamed at Fort Vredeburg (peacefort). This fort was once used as the main Japanese army headquarters and then beingused as a command post for the Indonesian Army.
Become a museum
The idea to change Fort Vredeburg from the army headquartersinto a cultural institution was brought on by Ki Hajar Dewantoro. It was notuntil 1980 that the central government found an agreement with YogyakartaSultanate to revamp this fort into a cultural institution.
A major renovation took place in 1982 and in 1984, but then thegovernment changed the plan and created a museum out of Fort Vredeburg. Themuseum was intended to show the history of Indonesia’s struggle for independence.The museum was inaugurated in 1992.
Tourist Destination
Fort Vredeburg Museum has now become a popular destinationwith good facilities. Here, you can expect basic amenities like toilets, prayerrooms, guest rooms, guides, audio visual rooms, performance rooms, libraries,and seminar rooms. You can also see various exhibitions like dioramas, oldphotographs, historic objects, and many replicas.
Formally, the address of the Fort Vredeburg Museum is on Jl.Margo Mulyo No.6, Ngupasan, Gondomanan, Yogyakarta City. The location is rightat the southern end of Jalan Malioboro. Tickets to enter the museum are verycheap, only around IDR tiga,000 per person for domestic tourists. For foreigntourists, the ticket price is IDR 10,000.
The Fort Vredeburg Museum not only presents historicaltourism, but also a destination with a lot of wonderful photo spots. This is agreat easy place to visit, since it is located in the center of the city.