National Monument (Indonesia)

Monumen Nasional
Monumen Nasional
Location within Jakarta
General information
Type	Obelisk Monument
Location	Central Jakarta, Indonesia
Construction started	17 August 1961
Completed	12 July 1975
Inaugurated	12 July 1975
Renovated	12 July 1975
Client	Government of Indonesia
Owner	Republic of Indonesia
Height	137 m
Design and construction
Architect	Frederich Silaban, R.M. Soedarsono
Main contractor	P.N. Adhi Karya (foundation piles)

Coordinates: 6°10′31.45″S 106°49′37.61″E / 6.1754028°S 106.8271139°E / -6.1754028; 106.8271139

The National Monument (Indonesian: Monumen Nasional, abbreviated Monas) is a 132 m (433 ft) tower in the centre 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.

Construction began in 1961 under the direction of President Soekarno. Monas was opened to the public in 1975. It is topped by a flame covered with gold foil. The monument and the museum are open daily from 07.00 am until 12.00 am Western Indonesia Time (UTC+7) throughout the week except for the last Monday of each month when the monument is closed.

After the Indonesian government returned to Jakarta from Yogyakarta in 1950 following the Dutch recognition of Indonesian independence, President Sukarno began to contemplate the construction of a national monument comparable to the Eiffel Tower on the square in front of the Presidential Palace. On 17 August 1954, a National Monument Committee was established and a design competition was held in 1955. This attracted 51 entries, but only one design, by Frederich Silaban, met any of the criteria determined by the committee, which included reflecting the character of Indonesia in a building capable of lasting for centuries. A repeat competition was held in 1960, but once again, none of the 136 entries met the criteria. The chairman of the jury team then asked Silaban to show his design to Sukarno. However, Sukarno did not like the design as he wanted the monument to be in the form of a linga and yoni. Silaban was asked to design such a monument, but his design was for a monument so large that it would have been unaffordable given the economic conditions at the time. Silaban refused to design a smaller monument, suggesting that construction be delayed until the Indonesian economy improved. Sukarno then asked the architect R.M. Soedarsono to continue with the design. Soedarsono incorporated the numbers 17, 8 and 45, representing the 17 August 1945 Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, in the dimensions of the monument.