Old Bank Indonesia Building, Padang, Historical museum in Padang, Indonesia.

The Old Bank Indonesia Building in Padang is a museum housed in a colonial structure from the early 20th century with white facades, large windows, and symmetrical design. It contains exhibitions about banking history, regional economic development, and the evolution of financial instruments across different periods.

The structure was built in 1921 as a branch of De Javasche Bank and was the first banking establishment of its kind to be located outside Java. It represented an important step in extending modern banking systems to the western regions of the country.

The building tells the story of how banking developed in Indonesia and how the local economy changed over time. You can see how financial systems worked in the past and understand the importance this bank held for the region.

The museum is located near the city center and is accessible on foot from the main business district. Group visits should be arranged in advance to ensure access at the time of your visit.

The building was designed to resist earthquakes, with paired double columns at the entrance, and its main hall sits above a staircase so it can withstand flooding from the Batang Arau river. In front once stood De Greve Park, with a monument to geologist Willem Hendrik de Greve, who discovered the Sawahlunto coal mine and drowned in the Batang Kuantan in 1872; the 156-metre Sitti Nurbaya bridge now occupies that spot.