Here are some interesting facts about Monas that might be useful to add insight.
Photo by Fuad Najib on Unsplash
Who doesn’t know Monas or National Monument? If seen on the map, Monas is located right in the middle of Jakarta, precisely in Merdeka Square. In addition to being a historic icon of Jakartan's pride, Monas also holds several interesting facts that not many people know. What are those?
1. Established on 17 August 1961
The 132-meter-high building was built to commemorate the Indonesian's struggle to win their independence in 1945. At the beginning of its construction, which was 17 August 1961, many people didn’t agree because it was considered to be spending a lot of funds and time, which was for 14 years.
Despite some challenges, Monas' construction continued and was opened to the public by President Soeharto on 12 July 1975. Until now Monas still stands proudly in the middle of the metropolitan city. Monas is still one of the favorite tourist attractions for Jakartans as well as tourists from other cities and foreign tourists.
2. Lingga and Yoni symbols
The form of the National Monument was the idea of President Soekarno which actually symbolizes Lingga and Yoni. Lingga is a male pillar symbolizing fertility, while Yoni is an obelisk foundation symbolizing feminine women. The form of monas is also often juxtaposed with pestle and mortar, to pound rice.
The size of the Monas itself symbolizes the date of Indonesia Independence Day (17 August 1945). The plate yard from the bottom is 17 meters high. While the height range between the historical museum space to the base of the saucer is eight meters (three meters below ground and 5 meters of stairs to the bottom of the saucer). And the area of the square is 45 x 45 meters.
3. Could Change the Name
Before being named Monas, this monument had the name Gambir Field, Ikada Field, Merdeka Field, Monas Field, and Monas Park. After changing its name five times, finally, the name National Monument aka Monas was chosen until today.
4. The shape of the building and Flame
The base of the Monas building is at a depth of eight meters with a plate height of the base reaching 17 meters. The area of the square is 45 x 45 meters. There is an elevator to take visitors to the top of Monas at a height of 115 meters. At the peak measuring 11 x 11, visitors can enjoy the view of Jakarta which is quite charming from the height.
At the top is a cup that supports the bronze lamp weighing up to 14.5 tons and coated with gold weighing 35 kg. This part is called Flame with a size of 14 meters and a diameter of six meters consisting of 77 parts put together.
5. Monas Gold Contributors
As you know, the top of Monas is coated in gold. But do you know who is the person behind the gold existence? One of them was a wealthy merchant Teuku Markam from Aceh who donated 28 kg of gold to coat the Flame. The total weight of gold on the Flame is 35 kg. However, right on the 50th anniversary of Indonesia Independence day, the weight of the gold layer on the Flame was increased to 50 kg.