Pancasila Building, Colonial governmental building in Central Jakarta, Indonesia.
The Pancasila Building is a long, single-storey white building fronted by a colonnade of tall fluted columns with plain square capitals, carrying a deep white entablature. Raised gold capitals along the fascia read "GEDUNG PANCASILA", and a gold eagle with spread wings stands centred on the roofline above the lettering. Red and white fabric hangs in scalloped swags between the columns over the shadowed porch, and a paved drive runs along the base.
Built in 1830 as the residence of Hertog Bernhard van Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, German-born commander of the Dutch colonial army, the building stands on the east bank of the Ciliwung in Weltevreden. It housed the Volksraad from 1918, then the Japanese Central Advisory Council from 1943 and the BPUPK in 1945, when Sukarno delivered his Pancasila speech on 1 June. Renamed Gedung Pancasila on 1 June 1964, it passed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1956.
The name comes from Sukarno's 1 June 1945 speech here, when he set out the five principles called Pancasila; the building was renamed Gedung Pancasila on 1 June 1964. Inside, the serambi holds two pairs of red dragon-carved Javanese gongs, and the corridor displays the ten ASEAN member flags plus the ASEAN flag.
The building stands on Jalan Pejambon, the former Hertogsweg, on the east bank of the Ciliwung in the Weltevreden area east of Merdeka Square. It is an active Ministry of Foreign Affairs venue for ceremonies and bilateral meetings, so access is not open to the public and visits depend on official events. The front colonnade and the gold "GEDUNG PANCASILA" lettering with the eagle above can be seen from the paved drive.
The building was the venue for a groundbreaking speech on June 1, 1945, where the five founding principles of the Indonesian state were first introduced to the public. This speech marked a turning point in the nation's founding.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,240 contributors worldwide.