Solo is one of the cities in Central Java which is dubbed as the city of culture. This city has the official name Surakarta which tourists widely know. The many historical relics that are neatly stored in the city’s museums make it famous as a city of culture.

Solo is an international gateway for foreign tourists and can be accessed directly from Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. Besides having a strong historical background, Solo also has a natural beauty worthy of being a tourist destination. So when the holidays have arrived, in addition to refreshing, you can come to Surakarta to simply add to your historical knowledge.

Don’t imagine visiting historical places is boring because visiting Solo historical sites is very fun. The following is a review of 5 museum tours in Solo that must be on a visit list when vacationing there.

1. Nusantara Keris Museum

The museum, which stores various keris of various ages and shapes, is located in the Sriwedari area. The Nusantara Keris Museum was built in 2014 and then inaugurated in 2017. There are more than 300 keris collections here, but only 240 are on display.

This place has four floors with a building equipped with escalators for visitors. This museum building has a modern design. Of all the existing collections, around 240 kris and spears are on display, while will display the rest in rotation every three months.

Each keris on display has its philosophy, so it is not an arbitrary object. Javanese people respect their ancestors and their relics.

In addition to the keris, there are also several objects with historical elements such as gamelan and traditional regional clothes. The collection of keris in this museum comes from various regions, not only the island of Java. There are other areas such as Bali, Riau, Sulawesi, and even abroad, namely the Philippines.

Apart from various regions, many institutions and phenomenal figures give their kris to be displayed here. Keris Nusantara Museum is open from 09.00 – 15.00 on weekdays and 09.00 – 13.00 on weekends. The entrance fee for this museum is around Rp. 7,500 for the public.

2. Danar Hadi Batik Museum

One of the interesting museum tours in Solo to visit is the Danar Hadi Museum. Built by a batik company from Solo, PT. Danar Hadi Batik in 2008.

The batik museum in Solo is no less historical than the Pekalongan batik museum. If you visit this place, you can see various batik collections from every era and learn about its history.

Here you can participate in making batik and know the philosophy of the types of batik that exist. Furthermore, you can feel the combination of Cultural Heritage and batik house when you enter this place.

The design of this museum is European colonial style with 11 rooms in it. Each room is divided to display local and international batik collections. Examples of batik collections here are palace batik, farmer’s batik, Danar Hadi batik, Chinese batik, Dutch batik, etc.

For those who want to learn batik, you can enter the workshop room. This room is specifically reserved for the process of making batik directly. The products are also sold in the shopping center there so that you can buy them as souvenirs.

3. Dayu Cluster Prehistoric Museum

To increase knowledge about the Sangiran archaeological site in Karanganyar, this museum is one of the places that must visit. Visitors who come are not limited, ranging from students to tourists.

The Dayu Museum was built on land deliberately designed as an example of soil layers from time to time. Although it is part of the Sangiran Museum, it is only focused on the theme of ancient soil layers.

As in the history lesson we learned, this museum introduces visitors to various soil layers from prehistoric times. In addition, there are also artifacts left by our ancestors.

The architecture of this building follows the contours of the hilly and elongated land. Upon entering the museum, you will find a Homo erectus skull. After going inside again, you will find platforms based on soil layers.

If you are interested in studying Archeology and Geology, it is mandatory to come to this museum. The museum’s opening hours are 08.00 to 16.00.

4. Lokananta Solo Museum

The name Lokananta is certainly no stranger to music lovers. This museum is the first recording studio in Indonesia, which was established in 1956. From this museum we will know that the development of music in the current industrial era is very fast.

Do you still remember the legendary cassettes and LPs in

the era? We can find all of that here. The music collection at the Lokananta Museum ranges from the oldest to the most recent.

Many legendary musicians from Indonesia were born here, such as Glenn Fredly, Waldjinah, and others. Now this place does not only function as a music studio but can also be a place to gather and appreciate music.

When you enter the museum, you will feel a nostalgic sensation about the atmosphere of an old recording studio. This place is a witness to the history of the country’s music industry.

5. Radya Pustaka Museum

You should not miss the Radya Pustaka Museum when visiting the city of Solo because it has been claimed to be the oldest museum in Indonesia. It was first built in 1890 at the time of Sri Sultan Pakubuwono IX.

Radya Pustaka itself comes from the word “Radya,” which means palace and “library,” which means the state library.

The architectural design in this museum is in the Dutch style. This building has an area of ​​approximately 523 m2 and 100 m2 for office space. This museum has exciting collections from historical relics in statues, spears, shadow puppets, kris, gamelan, ancient books, and many others.

The collections that are owned have often been exhibited at prestigious events in various countries. Therefore, visitors to the Radya Pustaka museum are not only students but many tourists of all ages, not only local but also foreign tourists.

Above is a list of 5 museums in Solo city that you can visit while on vacation there.  However, before you plan a trip to Solo, be sure to read more about Solo and Indonesia by visiting Wonderful Indonesia.