RESTORATION OF THE FORT VAN DEN BOSCH, NGAWI

-

Fort Van den Bosch or Fort Pendem as the local name is founded in 1839 in Ngawi, a small town on the border of Central Java and East Java, along the river Bengawan Solo.

Efforts to restore and re-use the Fort was initiated and fully funded by the Indonesian government under the responsibility of the Ministry of PUPR (Public Works and Human Settlements) in coordination with the military authorities as the owner of the Fort and the Ngawi local government.

The restoration process of the Fort van den Bosch started in 2020 and will be ready in early 2023. Hopefully, new functions such as hotels, museums, and offices will take place soon here.

Last October I visited the Fort van den Bosch and talked to Wawan Sudarmawan, Dimas Candra, and Bayu Arga who are responsible for the construction and engineering management.  They said that they have learned a lot but also found many unanswered puzzles during the restoration process. Contacts with fort experts in the Netherlands should be helpful for them.

In order to connect the history of Johannes van den Bosch in Indonesia and the Netherlands,  in September 2021, Indonesia Diaspora Nederland has organized a webinar with the speaker Nadia Purwestri from Pusat Dokumentasi Arsitektur (Indonesian Center for Architecture Documentation) who is in charge as the researcher of the restoration of the Fort van den Bosch.

It is special that both sides take the initiatives to value the same historical figure without knowing each other. Probably one day both sides will find a way to connect to pass on the history to the next generation.

















 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

REFLECTION ON 2023

-
Image
Bandung, October 2023 The end of 2023 gets closer.  I am thankful for the health, safety, and opportunities that I have this year.  The year started with good walks to the countryside of Austria. I had to thank my Austrian friends who introduced me to the beauty of nature, the farming life, and also the rich culture of a big city like Vienna. I fell in love with the philosophy of the architect  Friedensreich Hundertwasser: inspired by and back to nature.  In the spring, I had to thank my senior, Donovan Rypkema,  who introduced me to his heritage networks and works around Washington DC. I learned a lot about revitalization of the historical districts of the city.   I continued my journey with the train adventures following the history of the Dutch along the Hudson River until the border of  Canada. The experience with WWOOF USA impressed me. I think I will do it again, in another country next year. Staying in new surroundings with new people delivered fresh insights about life, and al
Read more

RISE AND FALL OF SUGAR INDUSTRY IN INDONESIA

-
Image
Sugar Factory Olean, Situbondo, East Java, Indonesia  (Source: Het Rozenhuis) The Sugar Industry in Java as shown during the International World Exhibition in 1910 in Brussels, Belgium (Source: J.W. Ramaer)  Heritage hands-on is selected as one of the participants “Sharing and Collaborative: The Footprints of Asian Sugar Industrial Heritage” is a part of the international symposium on “Multilateral, Sharing and Collaborative: Developing a Common Vision of Asian Industrial Heritage.” This event will take place in t he Cultural & Creative Industries Park, Taiwan, 30 th May – 31 st August. The organizer is  the Bureau of Cultural Heritage Ministry of Culture, Taiwan and it is implemented by National Yunlin University of Science & Technology Department of Cultural Heritage Conservation. Heritage hands-on will present the exhibition about "Rise and Fall of Sugar Industry in Indonesia".   I n the 1930’s Indonesia was the world second largest su
Read more

INFILL DEVELOPMENT

-
Image
Perpaduan antara bangunan lama dan baru selalu menarik perhatian saya karena saya percaya pelestarian pusaka (heritage conservation) haruslah aktual dan menjawab kebutuhan zaman. Jadi tidak semata-mata dan sama sekali bukan untuk nostalgia. Jika memang niat ada banyak cara untuk mempertahankan bangunan lama dan mengkombinasikannya dengan bangunan baru. Dengan cara ini pelestarian pusaka dan pembangunan baru secara simultan terakomodasi. Solusi seperti ini umumnya disebut Infill Development . Definisinya menurut BUILD, is the economic use of vacant land, or restoration or rehabilitation of existing structures or infrastructure, in already urbanized areas where water, sewer, and other public services are in place, that maintains the continuity of the original community fabric. Solusi Infill Development juga berdasar pada semakin meningkatnya kesadaran tentang pembangunan berkelanjutan dan pelestarian lingkungan hidup. Pendekatan Infill adalah tanggapan terhadap kebijakan pemerintahan
Read more