The Restoration of 224 Perwara Prambanan Temples is Being Carried Out, Target is Completed Before 2029

Fadli Zon discussed the plan to restore Prambanan Temple with the Head of the State-Owned Enterprise Regulation Agency and Chief Operating Officer of BPI Danantara Dony Oskaria at the Ministry of Culture Office, Jakarta, Tuesday, August 11.

JAKARTA - The government encourages the acceleration of the restoration of 224 perwara temples in the Prambanan Temple complex with a target of being completed before 2029. The work must be accelerated without neglecting construction techniques, materials, and preservation principles.

Minister of Culture Fadli Zon discussed the plan with the Head of the State-Owned Enterprise Regulation Agency as well as BPI Danantara Dony Oskaria's Chief Operating Officer at the Ministry of Culture Office, Jakarta, Tuesday, August 11.

According to Fadli, the previous restoration method took about two years for one perwara temple. Therefore, the government needs to prepare a new strategy so that the target of 224 temples can be pursued.

"The restoration and arrangement of the Prambanan area must be placed as part of the responsibility in the protection and promotion of culture," said Fadli.

He said that acceleration must still pay attention to quality, accuracy of construction, readiness of experts, and availability of materials.

The materials used must also match the original building's character. One of them is an ash-based andesite stone from Merapi with a combination of original and printed stones and color control.

Fadli also asked for the preparation of a master plan for the Prambanan area which includes temple buildings, spatial planning, sanitation, visitor facilities, commercial areas, parking, and landscaping.

"The construction and arrangement of facilities must not interfere with the view of the temple," he said.

The arrangement of the area will also consider the elements of art and architecture, including the idea of developing a monument in the Warini area as well as art and museum elements. The sculptor maestro I Nyoman Nuarta was also present in the discussion.

Dony Oskaria said the acceleration of restoration depends heavily on the readiness of human resources and material supplies.

"These two aspects need to be ensured from the beginning so that the implementation of development can run effectively and according to target," said Dony.

In addition to Prambanan, the meeting discussed the use of a number of assets for thematic museums. The plan includes the Film Museum in the Old City, the Music Museum in the Asia-Africa Bandung corridor, as well as the development of the Photography Museum and the Architecture Museum.

The Ministry of Culture assesses that the development of museums needs to be supported by clear planning, curation, collection, and management models. A number of plans for the utilization of these assets have also been reported to the President and have received support.