T.B. Silalahi Museum Center, Cultural heritage museum in Balige, Indonesia
The T.B. Silalahi Museum Center is a four-story rectangular building decorated with traditional Batak gorga patterns located near Lake Toba. The facility contains exhibitions about six Batak subgroups and houses a collection of traditional weapons and personal belongings.
General T.B. Silalahi founded this museum in 2006 to record his personal journey from a buffalo herder to military leader and government minister. The building emerged from his collection of objects that document this remarkable transformation.
The building displays artifacts and customs from six Batak subgroups that inhabit the region, each with distinct craftsmanship and ways of life. Walking through the floors, you notice how their material culture differs across tools, jewelry, and everyday objects that reflect their separate identities.
The museum is open on weekdays and weekends at varying times, with the top floor accessible as a restaurant with lake views. Plan to spend 2 to 3 hours to explore all four stories and their collections at a comfortable pace.
The top floor houses a restaurant offering panoramic views of Lake Toba while also displaying traditional weapons and rare pieces from the founder's private collection. This unusual blend of dining space and exhibition area creates a memorable experience with the landscape as backdrop.
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