Museums and Galleries in Solo , Java Indonesia

There are several interesting museums and galleries in Solo you must see. You can visit some notable museums within the city of Solo, offering more chances to gain better understanding into the culture and history of this area of Central Java. Sasono Sewoko Museum stands as the most notable one in Solo as a part of Kraton Surakarta complex. Usually, visitors are allowed to reach this place through a quite beautifully carved doorway.

Created by the hand of one of Indonesia’s finest purveyors of silks and wax-dyed fabrics (batik), Santosa Doellah, Solo’s most popular Museum Batik Danar Hadi becomes a kind of real celebration of their achievements and passion. Most of the exhibits here include some beautifully created vintage batik tulis displayed within different gallery spaces. Hence, visitors can admire not only the beauty of batik tulis but also the process of creating the graceful batik cloth.

Here are the interesting museum in Solo you must see on your holiday:

1. Museum Batik Danar Hadi

Interestingly, the name ‘Danar Hadi’ was derived by combining the names of Santosa Doellah’s wife (Danarsih Santosa) and his father-in-law (H. Hadipriyono). Since then, Danar Hadi batik brand has become widely associated with batik of the finest quality. There are regular hand-waxing and stamp-waxing workshops done here, as well as a performing arts area and processing department area. Thus, you can learn much more about the way that the patterns are applied to the fabrics. Also, onsite is a gift shop that happily allows visitors to purchase some of the very best batik collections available.

Address: Jalan Slamet Riyadi 261, Solo
Tel: +62 0271 714 326,

Open hours: daily — 09:00 to 16:00

Admission: charge


2. Sasono Sewoko Museum

This museum houses a collection of priceless antiques and treasures, such as silver Hindu-Javanese figurines and heirlooms from the royal family. Besides that, Sasono Sewoko Museum is also home to an impressive collection of historical weaponry, which has been collected from all over Java. If you want to get complete explanation of this place, it is possible to hire personal English-speaking guides in order to help you make the very most of your visit. Yet, you will have to pay for an additional charge for this service.

Address: Kraton Surakarta, Jalan Sasonomulyo, Solo

Open hours:

Tuesday to Friday — 09:00 to 14:00
Saturday and Sunday — 09:00 to 15:00

Admission: charge, admission as part of overall ,entry to Kraton Surakarta

3. Radya Pustaka Museum

Standing alongside Jalan Slamet Riyadi and next to the railway line, Radya Pustaka Museum contains a rather diverse collection of objects. They comprise jeweled Indonesian daggers (keris) and ‘wayang’ puppets, various antiquities and traditional Javanese musical instruments (gamelan). There are also numerous interesting historical scrolls depicting ‘wayang’ stories that are better known locally as ‘wayang beber. Here, you can also look out for the puppet figurehead originated from the royal barge (Raja Mala). Most of all, the museum itself was founded during the 19th century and moved to its present location in 1913.
Address: Jalan Slamet Riyadi, Solo
Open hours: Tuesday to Sunday – 09:00 to 13:00
Admission: charge


4. Art Galleries in Solo

Although Solo is certainly not a city famous for its formal art galleries, there are numerous interesting gift shops spread all around the central part of the city. Most of them sell an eclectic variety of local Javanese handicrafts. Most tourists find that the Indonesian ‘batik’ fabrics are truly artworks in themselves. The quality plain fabrics are painted in elaborative patterns with molten wax (malam) before being hand-dyed to give beautiful colors in them.
Indeed, Dullah museum serves as a significant art gallery in Solo dedicated to the country’s famous and highly acclaimed 20th-century artist ‘Dullah’. This private art gallery showcases a lot of his paintings. In fact, this gallery has become an important cultural landmark in the city, attracting large numbers of visitors every year.

5. Dullah Museum

This late Indonesian artist, popularly known as Dullah quickly became famous for his large and very lifelike portraits and still-life paintings. He was born in Solo in 1919. With his strong political connections, Dullah used to be a good friend of Indonesia’s first president, Soekarno. No wonder that Soekarno at one stage helped him establish his own private art works collection. Furthermore, Dullah Museum opened in the late 1980s continues to provide visitors with a unique chance to experience some of Dullah’s most famous masterpieces that he bestowed to the nation after he died in 1996. Meanwhile, other exhibits include many of his personal antiquities, ceramics and handicrafts.

Address: Jalan Dr. Cipto, Solo
Open hours: Tuesday to Sunday — 08:00 to 12:00

Admission: free

Those are all the interesting museums and galleries in Solo you must see. They will give you a clear picture of cultural flashback of the city of Solo. Hence, you will also find more Indonesian treasures that are very well kept in this city.