The golden flame
A 132-metre obelisk.
Indies1 — CC BY 4.0 · Ramayoni — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Junita59 — CC0 · Salmiah La Suma — CC BY-SA 4.0
Jakarta's best-known symbol: a white marble obelisk one hundred and thirty-two metres tall at the heart of vast Merdeka Square, crowned by a flame clad in gold leaf, a symbol of the spirit of the struggle for independence. Construction began in 1961 under the first president, Sukarno, and it opened to the public in 1975. The base holds a museum of national history telling Indonesia's story in small dioramas, from prehistory to independence, and above it the Hall of Independence, where the text of the proclamation is kept. Visitors ride a lift to the observation deck near the top, which looks out over all of Jakarta, its towers and districts. Entry for foreign visitors is about thirty thousand rupiah for the museum and observation deck, and the monument is closed on Mondays. The queue for the lift can be long on holidays, so come in the morning. The green square around it is free, where locals walk and jog morning and evening. It faces the Istiqlal Mosque and the National Museum, so the three fit into one morning. The monument is lit at night, and colourful fountain shows are sometimes staged in the square in the evening.
A 132-metre obelisk.
All of Jakarta from above.
Indonesia's story in dioramas.
Merdeka Square, Central Jakarta
Yes: the view from the deck is the best way to grasp Jakarta's size, and the fee is token. But the queue can be long on holidays, so pick a weekday morning.
