Indonesia Southeast Asia’s richest in cultural heritage

Cultural heritage in the form of old building in a number of cities in Indonesia does not function only as witnesses to the progress of the cities and their dwellers, but also a means to develop national solidarity, identity and pride, so that their existence has to be preserved.
This was one of various suggestions raised at the fourth meeting of Asia-Europe Culture Ministers in Poznan, Poland, on Sept. 9-10, 2010.
Junus Satrio Atmodjo, director of cultural heritage at Indonesia’s Culture and Tourism Ministry, who participated in the meeting, said at least 8,000 heritage buildings and sites have been registered in Indonesia.
The heritages are classified in several groups, including pre-historic era, Hindu-Buddha, Islam, colonial period until the current modern time. Parts of the heritages are even still utilized like railway station in Jakarta’s downtown.
“If they are calculated with other heritages like statues, their number can jump to tens or even hundreds of thousands,” Junus said as quoted by kompas.com on Saturday.
He further said that in Indonesia there have been old-aged items which have been declared by Unesco as the world heritages, like the pre-historic sites in Sangiran, Borobudur Temple and Prambanan Temple.
Under such a condition, for Southeast Asia, the number and types of cultural heritages in Indonesia constitute the largest. “For Asia, China possibly is the biggest,” Junus added.