Merdeka Building, Art Deco conference hall and museum in Bandung, Indonesia

The Merdeka Building is an Art Deco building on Jalan Asia-Afrika in Bandung. Its white facade has a projecting central section with four ground-level columns beneath a flat canopy, and gold letters reading "GEDUNG MERDEKA" above. The 7,500 m² interior has Italian marble floors, cikenhout wood finishing and crystal ceiling lamps.

The building was established in 1895 as Sociëteit Concordia, an exclusive club for wealthy plantation owners and businesspeople. It was rebuilt in the 1920s in the Art Deco style and later chosen in 1954 as the main venue for the Asian-African Conference, which reshaped international cooperation.

The Merdeka Building was originally a gathering place for wealthy residents of Bandung, where dances and dinners brought people together regularly. Today, it reflects the city's role as a center for regional meetings and cultural exchange, particularly during the 1955 Asian-African Conference that shaped international relations.

The building stands at the junction of Jalan Asia-Afrika and Braga Street, with the Savoy Homann and Preanger hotels nearby. The museum occupies the main building; other structures behind it stayed under separate management after 1968. Look for the name "Gedung Merdeka" fixed on the front facade.

During World War II, the building served the Japanese occupation as Dai Toa Kaikan and later became a headquarters for independence fighters resisting Japanese troops. This dual role as a place of both occupation and resistance makes it a powerful symbol of Indonesia's struggle for freedom.