About 90 percent of 442 castle in Indonesia who inventoried the Ministry of Culture and Tourism during the last three years, destroyed, damaged, and the switching function. The team from the Directorate General of History and Archaeology is currently reviewing the use of these fortresses.
Director of Archaeological Heritage at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Junus Satrio Atmodjo, in Makassar, South Sulawesi, on Wednesday (12/01/2011), said the fortresses of pilbox or relics of World War II bunker in Sumatra, Kalimantan, and Sulawesi, generally have become extinct since the plantation.
As about 50 percent from 37 fort relics Diponegoro War (1825-1830) on the island of Java, damaged and abandoned. While the rest are still in good condition just used people to swallow nest, such as Fort Pendem and Willem I in Ambarawa District, Central Java. There are also a number of the fort that is now enabled for the detention and military headquarters.
According to the Director General of History and Archaeology, Aurora Frida Tambunan, it was to formulate the most appropriate step for the utilization of these forts. “The recommendations will be given at each head region at the provincial and district no later than mid of this year,” said Aurora, after opening the exhibition titled “Fortress-Castle: Past, Today, and Tomorrow” at the Fort Fort Rotterdam, Makassar.
The recommendation is expected to guide the stakeholders in each region in the state to fix the fort. He hopes it will be done with preservation of promoting the utilization potential of the fort. This method will make the fort has an economic value that can be used to finance conservation.
Some of the fort in good condition and economic value, among others Vredeburg (Yogyakarta), Vastenburg (Solo), Fort Van der Capellen (Batusangkar), Marlborough (Bengkulu), and Fort Rotterdam (Makassar). South Sulawesi Provincial Government, for example, has just completed the first phase of the revitalization of Fort Fort Rotterdam last year. The cost of Rp 10 billion was used to organize the physical appearance of the castle and knock down buildings of Industry and Commerce Office, located in the south of the fort.
According to the Head of Culture and Tourism of South Sulawesi, Shu’aib Mallombasi, revitalization phase II will continue this year to tear down the building Radio Republik Indonesia, located on the north side of the castle. South Sulawesi provincial government will also build canals as wide as 3 meters to tour around the castle using a canoe. “The building was partly behind will we pugar to view the castle can be enjoyed from all sides,” said Shu’aib.
In addition to Fort Rotterdam, revitalization will also be made to the Somba Opu. However, the preservation process involving new investors will be done after the establishment of zoning by the Center for Preservation of Archaeological Heritage (BP3), South Sulawesi, completed on 15 January. Inventory of the existence of the fort will continue the team Directorate General of History and Archaeology. Under the Dutch Colonial Government notes there are about 600 fort in the country.