The National Monument (Indonesian: Monumen Nasional (Monas)) is a 132 m tower in the centre of Merdeka Square, Central Jakarta, symbolizing the fight for Indonesia. Construction began in 1961 under the direction of President Sukarno. Monas was opened to the public in 1975. It is topped by a flame covered with gold foil. The monument and the museum are open daily from 08.00 - 15.00 Western Indonesia Time (UTC+7) throughout the week except for the last Monday of each month when the monument is closed.
After the Indonesian government returned to Jakarta from Yogyakarta in 1950 following the Dutch recognition of Indonesian independence, President Sukarno began to contemplate the construction of a national monument comparable to the Eiffel Tower on the square in front of the Presidential Palace. R.M. Soedarsono, the architect of the monument, incorporated the numbers 17, 8 and 45, representing the 17 August 1945 Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, in the dimensions of the monument.
Monas was officially opened to the public on 12 July 1975. The location of Monas is known as Merdeka Square. The towering monument encapsulates the philosophy of Lingga and Yoni. Lingga resembles an alu rice pestle and Yoni resembles a lesung rice mortar, two important traditional Indonesian tools. Lingga and Yoni also symbolize eternal life with the lingga phallic symbol, representing masculinity, positive elements, and daytime and the Yoni the female organs symbol, representing femininity, negative elements, and night. The monument consists of a 117.7m obelisk on a 45m square platform at a height of 17m, the goblet yard. The obelisk itself is clad with Italian marble.
The original text of the Proclamation of Independence is stored in a glass case inside the golden door on the west side of the inner wall. Originally the eastern side displayed the most sacred Indonesian flag, Sang Saka Merah Putih, originally raised on 17 August 1945. However because it is fragile and in poor condition it is no longer displayed. The wall on the northern side displays a map of the Indonesian archipelago coated in gold.
There is a middle platform on top of the cawan (goblet) which provides visitors with views from a height of 17 metres. This middle platform is accessible through the elevator on the way down from the main observation deck or through stairs from below. A lift on the southern side carries visitors to the viewing platform at a height of 115 metres above ground level. The capacity of the elevator is about 11 people. The top platform can accommodate about 50 people. There is also a staircase for use in emergencies. The total height of the monument is 132 metres. The distance from the viewing platform to the tip of the flame is 17 metres.
Monas is topped by a 14.5 ton bronze Flame of Independence containing the lift engine. The base of the flame, in the shape of a goblet, is 3 m high. The bronze flame structure measures 14 m in height and 6 m in diameter, It consists of 77 sections. Originally the bronze flame structure was covered with 35 kg of gold foil. However during the 50th anniversary of Indonesian independence in 1995, the gold foil was recoated and increased to 50 kg gold foil. The obelisk and flame symbolize the Indonesian struggle for independence.
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