Istana Negara (Jakarta)

Istana Negara (State Palace)
State Palace in 1925
General information
Architectural style	Indische Empire style
Location	Jalan Veteran, no. 17, Jakarta Pusat, Indonesia
Construction started	1796
Client	Governor-General of The Dutch East Indies

Istana Negara (English: or State Palace, Indonesian: Istana Negara, Dutch: Paleis te Rijswijk) is one of the 6 presidential palaces of Indonesia. It is located Veteran street Central Jakarta, with Merdeka Palace located south of the building. It is part of the presidential palace compound which have a total area of 68,000 m², along with 3 other building: Bina Graha building that was formerly used as the President's Office, Wisma Negara in the western side which is used as state guesthouse and the Sekretariat Negara (State Secretariat). Istana Negara face north towards Jalan Veteran (Veteran Road), while Merdeka Palace that was built in the south are facing Merdeka Square.

The building today known as Istana Negara (State Palace) was originally built as the residence for a Dutch businessman, J. A. van Braam in Rijswijk-Molenvliet (presently known as Harmoni). The location chosen as at the time it was the most exclusive neighborhood in Weltevreden area, a new town center south of Old Batavia. The State Palace was built in 1796 facing north toward Molenvliet Canal in Noordwijk (today: Jalan Veteran), during the era of Pieter Gerardus van Overstraten as Governor General, and was completed in 1804.

In 1820, the mansion was rented and then sold to the Dutch Colonial Government in 1821. The government used this building as the center of all administration and as the official residence of the Governor-General during a stay in Batavia. Important occasions such as formal ceremonies or the Indies Council Meeting on every Wednesday are held in the palace. Godert van der Capellen became the first governor-general to officially reside in the palace. However Bogor Palace (Paleis te Buitenzorg) in Bogor (Buitenzorg) became the main residence, as most of the governor generals preferred the temperate climate in the hillsides of Bogor.