Museum Wayang (Puppet Museum), Jakarta

The Museum Wayang, established in 1975, is dedicated to preserving the centuries-old tradition of wayang, an art form that involves the use of specially crafted puppets. Also known as shadow theatre, these theatrical pieces serve both an entertaining and moralizing purpose by promoting traditional customs and values.

The museum, which houses over 5,000 exhibits, mostly wayang puppets made in Indonesia, is located on the site of the former Old Dutch Church that was first built in 1640. The church was later renovated in 1732 and renamed the New Dutch Church, but it was destroyed by an earthquake in 1808. A new building was constructed on the same site in the Neo-Renaissance style in 1912, which was initially used as a warehouse and later renovated in 1938 to reflect Dutch colonial architecture. The garden of the Wayang Museum, located in the former churchyard, was the burial site of former colonial General Governor Jan Pieterszoon Coen.

In 1939, the Batavia Society of Arts and Sciences bought the building and turned it into a museum called the Old Batavia Museum. After Indonesia gained independence in 1945, the building was transferred to the Institute of Indonesian Culture and then to the Ministry of Education and Culture in 1962.

Finally, in 1968, the DKI Jakarta Administration established the Wayang Museum, which opened on August 13, 1975. Along with wayang puppets from Java, Bali, Sumatra, Sunda, and Lombok, the museum also showcases international items from China, India, Pakistan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Suriname, France, Kelantan, England, and the United States. In addition to the puppet displays, the museum exhibits tools and equipment used in puppet crafting, and occasional demonstrations are conducted to introduce tourists to the art of puppetry.