Museum Bahari (Maritime Museum), Jakarta

Hosted by the former Dutch East India Company warehouses, the Museum Bahari (Maritime Museum in Indonesian) offers tourists an excursion in the maritime history of the Indonesian archipelago.

The buildings accommodating the maritime collections have a long and interesting history themselves. There are two groups of warehouses, one on the west bank of the Ciliwung River (or the Westzijdsche Pakhuizen) and one group on the east bank (or the Oostzijdsche Pakhuizen). Three out of the four warehouses located on the west bank are now used for the Museum Bahari.

The oldest warehouses were built during the 16th century in the Dutch architectural style and were used by the Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC) as storage space for spices, clothes, tea and coffee. More storage spaces were built in the 17th century, while some of the oldest ones were modified and improved so as to offer more space for the increasing volume of merchandise transiting the Jakarta harbor.

Museum Bahari features an impressive collection of boat replicas gathered from all over the Indonesian archipelago. A rare collection of pinisi and kora-kora (war vessels) replicas as well as original boats can be admired inside the museum. Other collections include the Indonesian naval history depicted in unique pictures taken on sea and in local harbors, a collection dedicated to the local maritime flora and fauna and a special collection gathering all the tools and specific Indonesian items used in maritime transport.