Heritage Corner

For more than 100 years the coal mining dominated the growing city of Sawahlunto, West Sumatra, Indonesia,  but the decline of the coal mining from 2001 on, forced the local government to search for alternative sources of income.   The year 2004 is a turning point of heritage conservation when several efforts have been taken to research an economic potential of former coal mining as a catalyst of city development. One of the efforts was a survey done by Dutch experts to identify and make an inventory of historical buildings and sites including the railway road.   In the following years, Sawahlunto Municipality has managed to transform the former coal mining into tourism attractions which stimulate other components such as accommodation and recreation facilities, local transportation network, revival of the railway road, opening of several museums and promoting the city through various mediums (films, books, postcards). Nevertheless, a case of Sawahlunto is an exception in

Heritage movement in Sumatra started since 1998 with the establishment of Sumatra Heritage Trust in Medan, North Sumatra and Pan - Sumatra Network for Heritage Conservation or Pansumnet. There are 1 4 organizations join Pansumnet as institutional partners, they are from Aceh, Medan, Nias, Padang, Bangka Belitung, Bengkulu, Jambi, Riau,   Palembang and Lampung . Pansumnet is the only regional network that exists in Indonesia and becomes an example for other regions. Pansumnet organizes   regional gathering s and trainings to maintain contacts and cooperation which normally attended also by heritage organizations from other areas in Indonesia and from neigbourhood countries in Southeast Asia like Malaysia and Singapore . Since its establishment, Pansumnet Gatherings and Trainings were held: ·          In 2000, Medan, North Sumatra ·          In 200 1, Bangka, South Sumatra ·          In 2002 , Padang , West Sumatra ·          In 2004 , Bengkulu , Ce