Totally there are 6 Presidential Palaces in Indonesia. These palaces have many historical value and were built for certain reasons in the past. These palaces, however, are still used until now by the current Indonesian president. Here we give you some explanations for each of them.

Istana Negara

Istana Negara or the State Palace is at the same area as Merdeka Palace which is located at Medan Merdeka Utara street, Jakarta. Istana Negara has two main buildings at Medan Merdeka Utara street and Veteran street. Istana Negara that was built in 1796 and finished in 1804 was a rest home for a Dutch entrepreneur. Now, Istana Negara is used to hold state occasions, such as the inauguration of high state officials, the opening of deliberations and national meetings, national and international congresses, and state banquets

Istana Merdeka

Istana Merdeka (The Merdeka Palace or also known as Istana Gambir) is located at Merdeka Square in Jakarta. This palace is used as the residence of the current President of Indonesia. In the past, during the colonial era Istana Merdeka was used as a residence for Governor of Dutch but after Indonesia got its independence the name was changed to Merdeka which means independence. There are some state events that are held in this palace such as Indonesia Independence Day ceremony on 17th August, cabinet meetings, reception of foreign ambassadors, and so on. Sometimes, those administrative events are also shifted to Istana Negara and the main function of Istana Merdeka is remain as Indonesian President’s office and residence.

Istana Bogor

Istana Bogor or the Bogor Palace was built in 1744 and has 3 floors. For some years, the building has renovated and now the palace is around 28.4 hektare. In 1834, Istana Bogor had a serious damage because of earth quake caused by the eruption of Salak Mountain. Then in 1950, Istana Bogor was officially started to be used by the government as one of the six Presidential Palaces in Indonesia. This palace is interesting since it has deers from Nepal that still exist. People love to walk outside of Istana Bogor area to feed the deers and they are also allowed to visit the palace by having permission from the presidential head of household.

Istana Tampak Siring

Istana Tampak Siring (the Tampak Siring Palace) is placed at Tampaksiring villange, Tampaksiring, Gianyar, Bali, Indonesia. This palace was built by the initiative of the first president, Soekarno, after Indonesia got its indepence. Soekarno wanted a rest residence with fresh air without any noise and this palace was built for the reason. There are four main buildings at Istana Tampak Siring, such as Merdeka building, Yudhistira building, Negara building, and Bima building.

Istana Gedung Agung

Istana Gedung Agung (the High Building Palace) is located in Yogyakarta, on the south end of Malioboro street. This palace was built in May, 1824 for Dutch’s residence. In 6th January, 1946, the capital city of Indonesia was moved temporarily in Yogyakarta and Istana Gedung Agung was used as the Presidential palace where Soekarno and his family stayed. Now, this palace is used to welcome state guests and hold Independence Day ceremony.

Istana Cipanas

The sixth presidential palace is Istana Cipanas (the Cipanas Palace) is located at the slope of Mount Gede, West Java. There are many plants, beautiful garden, vegetable field, and small forest. This plaace has wooden fixtures and some paintings made by Indonesian maestros.