Indonesia Designates 1,172 National Heritage Sites and Objects in 2026

Indonesia has designated 1,172 objects as national-level cultural heritage during the first eight months of 2026, expanding a formal inventory intended to guide protection and public use of the country’s cultural assets.

The Ministry of Culture announced the figure at a media briefing in Jakarta. It includes 430 heritage objects designated in the first stage, announced on May 19, and another 742 recommendations issued after further review by the National Cultural Heritage Expert Team.

Culture Minister Fadli Zon said the designation process, which involves research, assessment and recommendations, would create a more structured inventory. “These cultural assets must then be protected, developed and utilized in accordance with the mandate of Law Number 5 of 2017,” he said, adding that they should be maintained and made accessible to the public without being damaged.

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These cultural assets must then be protected, developed and utilized in accordance with the mandate of Law Number 5 of 2017.

The process begins with outreach to local governments, data collection and hearings by the expert team. The data comes from local government proposals, the collections of the National Museum of Indonesia and cultural objects repatriated from overseas.

The newly designated heritage includes Merdeka Palace, Ampera Bridge, the Hilisimaetano Village Cultural Heritage Site and the Lia Waburi Cultural Heritage Site. Museum objects include the Keris Pusaka I Raksasa Bedak, a seated Maitreya statue and Chinese-Javanese shadow puppets. Repatriated items include the Klungkung keris, six Pita Maha works and objects seized during the 1906 Puputan Badung.

The ministry plans to publish the expert team’s findings, install official signs, monitor sites with CCTV and prepare measures for natural disasters. Fadli also called for the assets to be reintroduced to the public, especially younger generations, through stronger narratives and renewed presentation.

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A national-level cultural heritage designation requires the reintroduction and rebranding of cultural assets so that the wider public and younger generations can access them through stronger narratives.