Merdeka Palace (English: Freedom Palace, Indonesian: Istana Merdeka, Dutch: Paleis

Koningsplein), is a palace in Central Jakarta, Indonesia, and used as the official palace of the
President of the Republic of Indonesia. The palace located directy in front of Merdeka square
and Indonesian National Monument. The palace served as residency for the Governor-General
of the Dutch East Indies during the colonial era and up to the first president of Indonesia. In
1949 the palace was renamed to Merdeka Palace, "merdeka" is Indonesian word for
"freedom". Merdeka Palace together with Negara Palace, along with a few structures in the
complex, such as Wisma Negara, State Secretariat, and Bina Graha make up the State Palace
complex; the center of Indonesian executive authority.

Evolution of the Merdeka Palace

Interior view of the palace in the early 20th century

The architecture of the Merdeka Palace was done in a neo-classical style with doric column,
popular amongst Europeans at the time of construction. During the early days, the 3.375 m²
building had two stories. In 1848, the upper floor was demolished, and the lower expanded to
accommodate more individuals, thus a more formal portrayal. After the 1873 reconstruction,
the building has since remain unchanged.

After the Indonesian independence, the Merdeka Palace complex was expanded to include not
only Istana Negara (State Palace), but also to construct Wisma Negara, Sekretariat Negara
(State Sectreatiat) and Bina Graha. Several colonial buildings and residences were demolished
in Weltevreden area to make way for today State Palace complex.

In 1961 national monument Monas was built in Merdeka square so that the Freedom Palace
would have its facade in view of the newly built monument.

The Merdeka Palace in Present Day

The Merdeka Palace serves as an official venue for state events; such as the Independence
Day ceremony, welcoming ceremony of honorable guests, reception of Letters of Credence
from foreign ambassadors, installation of ministers, ambassadors, ceremonial opening of
national meetings, national and international congress and official state banquet.

The administrative role that the palace once occupied has been shifted to the State Palace
building and State Secretariat, while the Merdeka Palace remains a symbolic vestige of
authority.

The Merdeka Palace has a several rooms such as, First Chamber, Residential Chamber, Guest
Room, Banquet Room, Reception Hall, Regalia Room, Office, Bed Chamber, Living Room, and
Kitchen.

The palace parts and rooms

Merdeka Palace today

On the front lawn of Merdeka Palace stoods 17 metres tall flagpole and fountain. The annual
flag raising ceremony took place during Indonesian Independence ceremony every August
17th. Also during Independence ceremony, the verandah at the facade of the palace often
used as ceremonial podium where the president and VIPs sit.

The frontmost room is called Ruang Kredensial (credential room), it is the room where
president received letters of credence from foreign ambassadors stationed in Indonesia. The
room also used for signing the stately letters of cooperation agreements with foreign nations,
signed by respective officials and witnessed by each head of the states. During independence
day ceremony, the president received compliments from foreign ambasadors.

Ruang Jepara (Jepara room) was a former study room of Sukarno, and named after Jepara,
a town in Central Java, because the furnitures and ornaments in this room is dominated by
wood carving art from Jepara.

Right across Jepara room is Ruang Raden Saleh (Raden saleh room), named after
Indonesian famous painter Raden Saleh Syarief Boestaman because there is five Raden
Saleh's masterpiece paintings hung in this room.

The largest room is Ruang Resepsi (reception hall), usually used for state banquet, state
gala dinner, national meetings, and state cultural performances. In this room there is two
masterpiece paintings of Basuki Abdullah. On eastern wall hung "Pergiwa Pergiwati" painting
took the theme from Mahabharata, and on the west wall hung the Javanese "Jaka Tarub"
painting.

The last room is Ruang Bendera Pusaka (the heirloom flag room), or Regalia room, used to
store "Bendera Pusaka", the heirloom Indonesian flag that raised in the first time during
Indonesian Declaration of Independence in 17 August 1945.

After Sukarno, the presidents no longer use the palace as the presidential residence, although
officially otherwise. However, the offices are still in use by the current Indonesian president.
During the Suharto administration, Suharto preferred to reside in his own house at Jalan
Cendana, Menteng, while the palace and Bina Graha only served as his office. The palace once
again became the official presidential residence during the Abdurrahman Wahid and Megawati
administrations. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono sometimes resides in Merdeka Palace, however
just like Suharto, he often prefer to reside in his own house, at Puri Cikeas, Cibubur, south
from Jakarta.

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The Doric order (or in Greek Δωρικός ρυθμός) was one of the three orders or organizational
systems of Ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the
Ionic and the Corinthian.
In their original Greek version, Doric columns stood directly on the flat pavement (the
stylobate) of a temple without a base; their vertical shafts were fluted with 20 parallel concave
grooves; and they were topped by a smooth capital that flared from the column to meet a
square abacus at the intersection with the horizontal beam (entablature) that they carried.

Urutan Dorie (atau dalam ρυθμός Δωρικός Yunani) adalah salah satu dari tiga perintah atau
sistem organisasi Yunani Kuno atau arsitektur klasik, yang dua lainnya adalah perintah
kanonik ion dan Korintus.
Dalam versi asli Yunani mereka, Dorie kolom berdiri langsung di trotoar datar (stylobate) dari
kuil tanpa basa; poros vertikal mereka bergalur dengan 20 alur cekung paralel, dan mereka
dihiasi dengan modal halus yang menyala dari kolom untuk bertemu dengan sempoa persegi
di persimpangan dengan balok horisontal (entablature) yang mereka bawa.

Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement

that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the
Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of
some classicizing features of Late Baroque. In its purest form it is a style principally derived
from the architecture of Classical Greece and the architecture of Italian Andrea Palladio. In
form, Neoclassical architecture emphasizes the wall rather than chiaroscuro and maintains
separate identities to each of its parts.

arsitektur Neoklasik adalah gaya arsitektur yang dihasilkan oleh gerakan neoklasik yang
dimulai pada pertengahan abad ke-18, diwujudkan baik dalam rincian sebagai reaksi terhadap
gaya Rococo hias naturalistik, dan dalam formula arsitektur sebagai hasil dari beberapa fitur
classicizing Akhir Baroque. Dalam bentuk yang paling murni itu adalah gaya terutama berasal
dari arsitektur klasik Yunani dan Andrea Palladio arsitektur Italia. Dalam bentuk, arsitektur
Neoklasik menekankan dinding daripada chiaroscuro dan mempertahankan identitas yang
terpisah untuk masing-masing bagiannya.