Prof. Sardjito's House for Sale, Fadli Zon Questions the Status of Cultural Heritage

Minister of Culture Fadli Zon when met after the National Awakening Day commemoration in Jakarta, Wednesday (20/5/2026). (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Historic buildings and cultural heritages are often witnesses of an important journey of a nation. However, not a few houses of national figures are now facing preservation challenges, ranging from changes in function to changing ownership.

This condition has drawn public attention, especially when the building holds historical value and traces of the struggle of important Indonesian figures.

Minister of Culture Fadli Zon said his party would ensure the status of the building and other information related to the house of National Hero Prof. Dr. Sardjito in the Terban area, Yogyakarta, which was reportedly sold by the family.

"Because it is private, of course we do not have the authority unless it is a cultural heritage, we hope that maybe someone is interested in having it, especially so that it becomes a public space such as a museum and the like, we will try to see later," said Fadli in a closed interview in Jakarta, Wednesday, May 20.

He admitted that until now the Ministry of Culture had not received complete information regarding the news of the sale of the house.

"Later we will check it first, we haven't received complete information yet," he said.

The house left by Prof. Dr. Sardjito is located on Jalan Cik Di Tiro, Terban, Yogyakarta. The building with a pretentious architectural style is located not far from the Gadjah Mada University (UGM) area and is known to contain a number of historical collections belonging to the national figure.

Inside the house are various old furniture, book collections, to keris which are still neatly arranged. The building stands on a land area of 1,206 square meters with a building area of about 800 square meters.

At the back of the house there is also the office of Calcusol, a traditional medicine developed by Sardjito.

Prof. Dr. Sardjito is one of the important figures in the history of education and health in Indonesia. The man born in Purwodadi Village, Magetan Regency, East Java, on August 13, 1891 is known as one of the founders and the first rector of Gadjah Mada University in the period 1950-1961.

His name was then immortalized as the name of the Dr. Sardjito Central General Hospital (RSUP) in Yogyakarta.

Apart from working in the field of education, Sardjito also contributed to the Indonesian independence struggle through emergency medical services for guerrillas during the colonial period.

He is also listed as one of the founders of the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) and has made great contributions in the field of pharmaceuticals, including in the development of traditional and modern medicines in Indonesia.

During his career, Sardjito once received an order from the Indonesian government to take over the Dutch-era Pasteur Institute and was entrusted to become the Head of PMI Bandung. PMI itself was founded on September 9, 1945 and became the first humanitarian organization to stand in Indonesia.