Tuesday, October 31, 2023 at Hotel Harper Malioboro Yogyakarta, The Museum of Biology receives appreciation for the preservation and conservation of Cultural Heritage and Cultural Heritage Sites (WBCB). The Museum of Biology is located at Jalan Sultan Agung No. 22, Yogyakarta, originally serving as a Dutch officer’s residence. The building was constructed in 1890 and was repurposed as a museum on September 20, 1969. It continues to be used as a museum, housing a collection of various biological specimens managed by the Faculty of Biology UGM Yogyakarta.
Sektiadi, S.S. M.Hum., from the TACB team, revealed that the building features the distinctive Dutch East Indies or colonial architectural style, characterized by a rectangular layout, front and rear terraces. Both terraces have round pillars with ornamental ornaments and ornate iron railings (balustrades). The roof of the building is shaped like a shield (hip roof) running north-south in line with the building’s length, covered with tiles. The walls, like other colonial buildings, are made of plastered brick with molding at the top. The doors and windows are square-shaped with wooden frames and have a transom window at the top forming an arrow-shaped lattice. This assessment was conducted with the presence of Mulyanto, ST, MM, Deputy Head of the Biology Museum, and the museum staff. The Museum of Biology is recognized for its preservation and maintenance as a Cultural Heritage and Cultural Heritage Site (WBCB) by the Department of Culture (Kundha Kabudayan) of Yogyakarta City, because the building is well-maintained and showcases the distinctive features of the Dutch East Indies architecture, said Soenarwan Hery Poerwanto, Head of the Museum of Biology at UGM.
Ida Suryani, the curator of the plant collection, further explained that the Museum of Biology, located in a designated heritage building, adds value not only to the museum’s collection but also to the museum building itself as one of the Cultural Heritage Sites (BCB) in Yogyakarta City. This appreciation was directly presented by the Deputy Mayor of Yogyakarta, Mr. Singgih Raharjo, to 20 conservators of WBCB and 20 artists and cultural figures as a form of recognition and gratitude to the community for their active role in preserving WBCB.
