Vredeburg Fort Museum

Visiting Yogyakarta tourism object is not complete without coming to Fort Vredeburg Museum. This fortress has a high historical value to the struggle against the tyranny. Before known as the Fort Vredeburg as now, the fort was named Fort Rustenburg.

In the year 1760, at the request of the Netherlands, Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono I—the Sultan of Yogyakarta— built a very simple square fort on the land owned by the Kraton (palace). On each corner stands a bastion or seleka which resembling a turtle shape with four legs. By the Sultan the four corners was named Jayawisesa (northwest corner), Jayapurusa (northeast corner), Jayaprakosaning (southwest corner) and Jayaprayitna (southeast corner). Then, under the supervision of architect from the Netherlands named Ir. Frans Haak, in the year 1767 the fort reconstruction was take place. When the building was finished, the fort named Fort Rustenburg which means “Fort of resort”.

In the beginning this initial establishment of the fort was actually a strategy from the Netherlands for the Sultan’s Palace security, though the real intention is to monitor the movement of Sultan’s Palace itself. From inside the fort, the Dutch could easily lead a number of cannons precisely on the Sultan’s Palace if revolt emerges from the Sultan’s Palace, because the fort is close to the Sultan’s Palace.

Devastating earthquake in 1867 in Yogyakarta, causing the collapse of many important buildings in Yogyakarta including Fort Rustenburg. Soon, all the buildings were rebuild and reform. After completion, the name Fort Rustenburg changes to “Fort Vredeburg” which means “Fort of Peace”. The name is taken as a manifestation of the relationship between the Sultanate of Yogyakarta and the Netherlands to cease aggression at that time.

On August 9, 1980 with the approval of Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono IX Fort Vredeburg serve as Center of Information and National Culture Development. On April 16, 1985 a restoration was carried out in order to the fort became a museum of struggle. The museum opened to the public in 1987. Dated November, 23 1992 Fort Vredeburg was officially served as a museum of struggle with the name “Museum of Fort Vredeburg”. Because it has functioned as a modern museum, Fort Vredeburg has a complete collection includes collection of buildings, collection of realia, collection of photographs including replicas and miniatures and painting collections. In addition, there are four diorama rooms of the history of Indonesian struggle.