Museum Bank Mandiri, Jakarta Overview

Currently a museum to showcase the economics and the economic system of Jakarta, Museum Bank Mandiri chronicles the story of the erstwhile known Batavia's financial systems. The building itself was completed in 1929 and its sleek architectural style is reminiscent of the Art Deco style that was in vogue at the time. There is no better way to learn about the nuances of colonial economics than at Museum Bank Mandiri. Visitors get to witness a collection of colonial banking activities, vintage cash counters and everything else related to the economy of colonial era. It is situated at the banking district of Old Jakarta Town.

The bank was previously a large office and a warehouse occupying an area of 10,039 meter square. The building caught fire in the 1920s and was damaged. The construction of the new building started in the year 1929 and was opened to the public in the year 1933. The museum was established by Bank Mandiri on October 2, 1998. It has a collection of items related to banking activity and its development in "Tempo Doeloe" (in Indonesia meaning "Good old days") such as old currency notes, safes, deposit boxes and aged ATM’s presented in multiple rooms.

What to See at Museum Bank Mandiri

The ultimate purpose of this bank museum is to show how the banks were during the 1700s and 1800s. Just when you enter the museum, there are various signboards which inform the services provided by different banks on the ground floor and first floors such as security services and safe deposits.

The museum consists of a total of three floors:

The Ground Floor consists of the Treasury Room (Cash Afdeeling), Bookkeeping Room (special room for ledgers), and Chinese Cashier Room (Chineesche Cash). In the south wing there is a Bank Equipment Room, Filing and Communication Room, ATM Room.

The First Floor is occupied there is a huge meeting room which has a set of tables and chairs for meeting purposes. The walls of this floor are filled with photo frames of important people of Indonesia in the banking world such as Agus Martowardojo, President Director of Bank Exim (1998), President Director of Bank Mandiri (2005-2010) and many more. The first floor also consists of Director's Photo Room, the Director's Dining Room, the President's Director Room, the Numismatics Room.

The Mandiri Museum is also famous for the Stained Glass inscription which was gifted by Karel CJ van Aalst. The glass inscription is divided into two parts where the lower part depicts four seasons in Europe and Indonesian nature and the top part depicts Cornelis de Houtman surrounded by four ships that sailed to the archipelago in 1595.

Things to Do Around Museum Bank Mandiri

The Bank of Indonesia Museum- Situated at a distance of 50 metres from the Museum Bank Mandiri, this museum is also one of the most popular museums in Kota Tua. It was built to show the role of the central bank in developing the banking industry and also the historical development of Indonesia. The Bank of Indonesia has a huge collection of various currency notes from all around the world.

Fatahillah Square- Also known as Taman Fatahillah, the square is a 10-minute walk from Museum Bank Mandiri. Since it is located at the centre of Kota Tua, it is a must-visit for every tourist. The square is a huge place people visit to sit with a beer or a cup of coffee and listening to music, watching other people playing the guitar, tourists snapping photos, or kids play. Fatahillah Square is a great spot to ‘people watch’ in Jakarta.

Museum Wayang (Puppet Museum)- The puppet museum in Jakarta is one of the most interesting museums even for a person who doesn’t like visiting museums. The unbelievable collection so many types of puppets maintained so well surprises every visitor. The collection not only includes puppets from Indonesia but from many parts of the world.

Jakarta History Museum- Situated at a walking distance from Museum Bank Mandiri, Jakarta History Museum was built in 1707 and is one of the oldest buildings in the city. An interesting thing about this museum is the prison cells which shows how prisons were at the colonial times in Jakarta.

How To Reach Museum Bank Mandiri

The Museum Bank Mandiri is situated right in front of Town Station of Jakarta.
From the centre of Jakarta, the museum is situated at a distance of 10 kilometres.
While hiring a car to commute within the city sounds like a convenient option, there is a bus route which drops you off in front of the museum at a cheaper rate.
Take bus B01 from the Jakarta centre and get down at Latumenten.
From there take the bus 86 which drops you off in front of the museum.