Minister of Culture Submits SK for the Management of the Cultural Heritage Area of the Kasunanan Surakarta Palace
SURAKARTA - The state reaffirms its authority in the governance of the Keraton Kasunanan Surakarta Hadiningrat Cultural Heritage Area through the appointment of an official executor. The Minister of Culture of the Republic of Indonesia, Fadli Zon, handed over the Decree of the Minister of Culture Number 8 of 2026 to Kanjeng Gusti Pangeran Harya Panembahan Agung Tedjowulan as the executor of the protection, development, and utilization of the palace area with the status of national cultural heritage.
The handover of the SK, which took place in the Surakarta Palace environment, Sunday (18/1), emphasized the role of the state in ensuring certainty of the governance of the Surakarta Kasunanan Palace which since 2017 has been designated as a National Level Cultural Heritage Area. The appointment of the executor is intended so that all functions of protection, development, and utilization of the area run in accordance with legal provisions and state responsibilities.
Fadli Zon said that the management of cultural heritage areas cannot run without certainty of clear governance. The state, he said, has the obligation to ensure that historical areas are protected, managed, and used in an accountable, transparent, and sustainable manner.
The Ministry of Culture appointed Tedjowulan to coordinate the management of the area, carry out monitoring, and bridge cooperation across institutions and local governments. The appointment also includes a continuous evaluation of the physical condition and cultural functions of the Surakarta Palace.
After the handover of the SK, Zon reviewed a number of points in the royal area that needed serious handling, especially the Keputren Complex, which was considered to require major renovations. The handover of the SK was then continued separately at Sasana Hadrawina.
The Mayor of Surakarta, Respati Achmad Ardianto, expressed the city government's support for the continuation of the Surakarta Kasunanan Palace as a cultural center and a living space for traditional society.
The Kasunanan Surakarta Palace covers the Baluwarti and Cempuri areas, with at least 74 historic buildings and is the living space of more than 35 Indonesian Intangible Cultural Heritage.
It is known that the agenda for the handover of the SK did not go smoothly. There was a rejection from the SISKS Pakubuwana XIV Purbaya camp who claimed that they were not involved in the appointment of the management. Verbal arguments occurred and made the handover procession at one location stopped, before finally continuing at a different location.