5
Muhammad Athallah Arsyaf -
4 months ago
While Sonobudoyo is listed as only second to the National Museum in terms of collection size, I remembered there being only a limited amount on display. What made the experience truly worthwhile was our guide who explained thoroughly the history of Javanese culture. He took his time to take us around the compounds including into the replica of the Balinese temples out at the side of the museum. Discussing with him was definitely the highlight of the whole museum experience. By Indonesian standards, this museum is surprisingly well kept. Its located at the junction between the Alun-Alun and everything else, thus many tend to miss Museum Sonobudoyo. While it might be considerably smaller in size to the Vrendenburg, I felt the collection here is more impressive. The museum features history about the Sultanate, Javanese traditions, Batik, and Wayang. While it also has non-Javanese artifacts on display they are mostly there to tell stories about how the region of Java has influenced the cultures in other areas as well. I believe the museum houses an amphitheater/cultural performance hall where certain shows are showcased, but during our visit we did not get the chance to catch any shows. We did however stumble upon an art exhibit happening right next door to the museum on our way back home (check with the attendants for any special exhibitions). If I recall admission is Rp.5,000 for Indonesians, might be higher for foreigners. I’d say if you’re here for a cultural enlightenment, Sonobudoyo should be at the top of your list. You should allocate at least 2 hours to get the most experience from the museum exhibits and to allow your guide to not rush into things. But I somehow also see its possible for you to rush all the exhibits under 1 hour if you prefer to self-guide yourself. I recommend asking for a guide as they are more than happy and enthused to help you and make your time here more worthwhile.
