Radya Pustaka Museum, History museum in Surakarta, Indonesia
Radya Pustaka Museum is a history museum in Surakarta that displays Indonesian heritage across multiple exhibition rooms showing traditional weapons, puppets, ceramics, and ancient manuscripts. The collection also features ceremonial daggers and regional artworks that illustrate the artistic and craft traditions of Java.
Kanjeng Adipati Sosriningrat IV founded the museum in 1890, making it the second oldest in Indonesia. This early establishment shows the region as a key keeper of cultural heritage during Java's transition between royal and modern governance.
The museum displays gamelan instruments, wayang puppets, and Hindu-Buddhist stone sculptures that visitors can see firsthand. These objects reveal how deeply rooted traditional practices remain in Javanese identity and daily life.
The museum is located on Slamet Riyadi Street near Sriwedari Park and offers wheelchair access with interpretive signs in multiple languages. Visitors should allow time to explore the different exhibition rooms thoroughly since the collections are spread across several spaces.
The collection includes cannons from the Dutch East India Company dating to the 17th and 18th centuries alongside smaller artillery pieces from local kingdoms. These weapons directly document contact between European powers and Javanese rulers during a transformative period.
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