National Library of Indonesia
The National Library of Indonesia is the legal deposit library of Indonesia. It is located at Gambir, on the south side of Merdeka Square, Jakarta. It serves primarily as a humanities library alongside several others holding national responsibilities for science and agriculture. The national library was established in 1980 through a decree of the Ministry of Education and Culture and the consolidation of four different libraries. It maintains the status of a non-departmental government institution and is responsible to the President of Indonesia.
National Library of Indonesia new building in Central Jakarta, facing Merdeka Square
Museum of the Royal Batavian Society of Arts and Sciences, now the National Museum of Indonesia, c. 1875–1885
Library collection of the Royal Batavian Society of Arts and Sciences, c. 1896
The previous National Library building on Jalan Salemba
Merdeka Square is a large square located in the center of Jakarta, Indonesia. Merdeka is the Indonesian word for freedom or independence. Measuring approximately one square kilometer in area, if the surrounding fields within the Merdeka Square are included, it is considered one of the largest squares in the world. At 75 hectares, it is over five times the size of Tiananmen Square, and 12 times the size of Place de la Concorde.
A view of Merdeka Square with National Monument standing in the middle of the square.
Royal Dutch East Indies Army bomber planes fly over Batavia Koningsplein in the 1930s.
Sukarno speaking at the Rapat Akbar on 19 September 1945.
Plan of Merdeka Square in 1965
