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Monas Tower. Photo by Rifki Kurniawan on

Top 10 Outstanding Facts about Monas Tower

The National Monument (Monas) has an important role as an open space in Jakarta. Located in Central Jakarta and occupying 80 hectares, Monas has become the place for many important public events. Construction began in 1961 under the direction of President . Monas was opened to the public in 1975. It is topped by a flame covered with  foil.

The National Monument (Indonesian: Monumen Nasional, abbreviated Monas) is a 132 m (433 ft) obelisk in the center of Merdeka Square, Central Jakarta, symbolizing the fight for Indonesia.

It is the national monument of the Republic of Indonesia, built to commemorate the struggle for Indonesian independence.

1. The 鈥淜emerdekaan鈥� Room Signifies Independence

Kemerdekaan means independence. At the bottom of the Monas, there is a Room of Independence that talks about Indonesia鈥檚 independence. There are also historic items associated with independence. Among them are the original manuscripts of the Proclamation of Indonesian Independence which are stored in a glass box within a gold-plated gate.

If you enter this door, you will hear the song 鈥淧adamu Negeri鈥� and followed by a recording of the voice of former Indonesian President Soekarno who read the Proclamation manuscript on August 17, 1945. There is also a state symbol, NKRI archipelago map, and red and white flag amongst others.

2. Teuku Markam Contributed To The Construction Of The Monument

Initially, the gold used to coat the flame symbol was 35 kilograms weight. In 1995, when Indonesia celebrated the golden anniversary of independence the layer of gold was added by 50 pounds. This was a contribution from Teuku Markam, a merchant from Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam. During his lifetime, Teuku Markam was known to fight for the country and later died in 1985.

3. There Is The Fire Symbol Which Signifies A Raging Struggle Of Indonesian People

The height of the Monument is about 132 meters, at the top of this monument, there is a cup with the top flame tongue. The flame tongue on this monument is made of bronze as high as 14 meters which is also coated with gold 45 kg.

This flame symbolizes the spirit of a raging struggle of all the heroes of Indonesia. The top of this monument is in the form of a flame tongue made of pure gold weighing 15.5 tons with a diameter of 6 meters and a height of 17 meters.

4. From The Courtyard Of Monas, One Can See The Beautiful View Of The City

The courtyard at the top of Monas is 11脳11 meters wide which can be climbed by visitors alternately. From the court, visitors can see the tall buildings in the city of Jakarta.

Even when the sky is clear, visitors can see the Mount of Salak in West Java. Besides, you can also see the Java Sea and Kepulauan Seribu.

5. Construction Took 14 years

The start of National Monument construction began on the 16th Independence Day of Indonesia, on August 17, 1961. It was opened to the public on July 12, 1975. That means the development of Monas spent considerable time, which was about 14 years. The inauguration was made by the second president, namely President Soeharto.

6. Outside Of The Monument There Are Reliefs Depicting The History Of Indonesia

On the outside of the monument, there are reliefs depicting the history of Indonesia. It illustrates the glory of the ancient kingdoms in Indonesia up to the revolutionary hero who championed Indonesia. These statues and statues make you feel the spirit of the heroes.

The stonework behind the monument is a narrative. Moreover, it tells the history of the Singasari and Majapahit kingdoms. Almost all valuable information about Indonesia鈥檚 history and the majestic kingdom sets in a monument. Hence, Monas rarely run out of visitors.

7. It Is The Highest Monument In Indonesia

Monas is in the middle of Lapangan Medan Merdeka. Monas was built right in the middle of Medan Merdeka Square on an 80-hectare park. Monas is the highest monument in Indonesia. Mona鈥檚 height is 132 meters (433 feet.

8. Been renamed 5 times

The field where Monas is located has been renamed 5 times. The first, this area was named Gambir Square. Then it was changed by Ikada Square. Not long after that it was, named Merdeka Square. Then later it was named Monas Square and was famous for Monas Park.

9. It Was Built By A Famous Architect

Frederich Silaban and R.M. Soedarsono became the architect assigned the duty of building this monument. The 132-meter-high monument was finally completed on 12 July 1975 and was then officially inaugurated by the President on that day.

Nowadays, the Monument has become one of the popular tourist destinations in the capital community. It is right in the heart of the capital. Besides the monument, there is also established a museum that tells the experience of Indonesia when it seized its sovereignty.

10. Taken From Lingga And Yoni Philosophy

The towering form of the monument contains the philosophy of 鈥淟ingga and Yoni鈥� which resembles 鈥淎lu鈥� as 鈥淟inga鈥� and the shape of the container (cup-red) is a room resembling 鈥淟umpang鈥� as 鈥淵oni鈥�. Alu and Lumpang are two important tools owned by every family in Indonesia, especially rural people. Linga and Yoni are symbols of antiquity that depict eternal life, are positive elements (phallus) and negative elements (yoni) such as the existence of day and night, male and female, good and bad, is the eternity of the world.

The initiative of the Monas National Monument came from Soekarno, the former president of Indonesia. Soedarsono, the architect who designed the national monument took some elements when the Proclamation of Independence that embodies the national revolution as much as possible apply them to the architectural dimensions of the numbers 17, 8, and 45 as the sacred figure of the Proclamation Day.

The shape of the entire lines of the architecture of this monument embodies the lines that move unevenly monotonous, rising curved, jumping, evenly again, and rising towering, eventually bumping over the form of a burning flame. The body of the towering monument with flames at its peak symbolizes and illuminates the spirit of burning and unflagging in the chest of the Indonesian nation.