Geological Fact Walk And Interactive Multimedia Exhibits at Bandung Museum of Geology

Bandung Museum of Geology does not only collect, catalogue, and exhibit fossils and other geological artifacts. Since the completion of its renovation in August 2000, the museum has also set up modern, interactive and multimedia exhibits in the whole second floor where visitors can interactively explore, experience, and learn different aspects of geology, particularly about those that are most relevant to them. On the floor of this part of the museum they can also find factual sltickers like these that let them learn some important geological facts while they are walking about the room.

Museum Geologi Bandung sekarang juga telah dilengkapi dengan ruang pamer multimedia modern yang terletak di lantai dua. Di sini pengunjung dapat menjelajah, mengalami, dan belajar hal-hal yang berkaitan dengan geologi secara interaktif. Pada lantai ruang pamer ini mereka juga bisa menemukan stiker-stiker yang berisi tentang fakta-fakta geologis yang penting diketahui, sehingga sambil berjalan-jalan mereka juga bisa menambah pengetahuan mereka.

1.7 Million Years Giant Turtle

This is another fossil collection of Bandung Museum of Geology: A 1.7 million years giant turtle (Megalochelys cf. sivalensis, also, formerly named Geochelone atlas). From this fossil, we know that the living turtle would have been 1.5 meter tall and 2 meter long. The fossil was excavated from the Glagah River area in Bumiayu, Central Java, Indonesia.

Fosil kura-kura raksasa koleksi Museum Geologi Bandung. Fosil ini ditemukan di daerah kali Glagah, Bumiayu, Jawa Tengah dan berusia sekitar 1,7 juta tahun. Pada masa hidupnya, kura-kura ini tingginya 1,5 meter dan panjangnya sekitar 2 meter (kira-kira sebesar dan setinggi kerbau)

Stegodon Trigonocephalus Fossil at Bandung Museum of Geology

This is another collection of Indonesia's ancient vertebrate fossil at Bandung Museum of Geology: Stegodon Trigonocephalus (ancient alephant). Stegodon Trigonocephalus roamed large parts of Asia during the Pleocene and Pleistocene Epoch about 11.6 until about 4.1 million years ago. It locally survived until the Holocene Epoch in the Indonesian archipelago.

Fosil gajah purba (Stegodon trigonocephalus) koleksi Museum Geologi Bandung. Gajak purba hidup di sebagian besar Asia pada kala Pleosin dan Pleistosin sekitar 11,6 hingga 4,1 juta tahun yang lalu. Namun di kepulauan Indonesia, gajah ini bertahan hingga kala Holosin.

Javanese Hippopotamus Fossil at Bandung Museum of Geology

Most of us would think that hippopotamus is the endemic animal of the African continent. Not so, apparently. A long, long time ago, during the Pliocene Epoch (Age), hippopotamus also roamed the island of Java as is evidenced by the discovery of this fossil.

This fossil of Javanese Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus Simplex or Hexaprotodon sivajananicus) is one of Indonesia's vertebrate fossil collection stored and displayed at Bandung Museum of Geology (see yesterday's post). This fossil along with many others were excavated from the Trinil area of Bengawan Solo (the Solo River) in Central Java in the early 20th Century.

Fosil Kudanil Jawa (Hippopotamus simplex atau Hexaprotodon sivajavanicus) koleksi Museum Geologi Bandung. Fosil ini ditemukan di daerah Trinil di tepian sungai Bengawan Solo pada awal abad ke-20. Kudanil pernah hidup di pulau Jawa pada Kala Pliosin (kira-kira 5 hingga 1 juta tahun yang lalu).

Bandung Museum of Geology

Photo: The front facade of Bandung Geological Museum on 57 Diponegoro Street.

The establishment of Bandung Geological Museum is closely linked to geological research in Indonesia which began in 1850. The current building, however, was not constructed until 1928. It was first meant to be a geological laboratory in which rock and mineral samples and fossils collected from different parts of the Indonesian archipelago were to be studied and stored. The museum itself was officially established on 16 May 1929 to coincide with the Fourth Asia Pacific Geology Congress held in Bandung that year.

The Art Deco style building was designed by the architect Menalda van Schowenburg.

I am going to share with you what I know about the museum in the next few posts.

Gedung Museum Geologi di Bandung yang terletak di Jalan Diponegori No. 57 mulai dibangun pada tahun 1928 dan diresmikan sebagai museum pada tanggal 16 Mei 1929 bertepatan dengan diadakannya Kongres Geologi Asia Pasifik IV di Bandung. Gedung berarsitektur Art Deco ini dirancang oleh arsitek Menalda van Schowenburg.

Bandung's Museums: Museum Pos Indonesia

Museum Pos Indonesia or the Indonesian Postal Museum is located east of Gedung Sate (West Java Gubernatorial Office Mansion) on Jalan Cilaki 73 (73 Cilaki Street), Bandung. Its building was in fact built as part of the Gedung Sate office complex. That is why they share the same architectural features.

Museum Pos Indonesia was established in 1933 as Post, Telegraph, and Telephone Museum (Museum PTT). It has the most extensive collection of stamps and other philatelic objects from all over the world, which include the oldest stamp in Indonesia (then the Netherlands’ East India) and some of the oldest stamps in the world. It also collects some of the world’s oldest post, telegraph, and telephone equipments and an impressive number of documents (photograph, pictures, paintings, leaflets, etc) that record the history of the development of the post, telegraph, and telephone services in Indonesia.

This museum is open for public free from 9 AM to 4 PM Monday through Friday, and from 9 AM to 2 PM on Saturday.

Bandung City Information: List of Museums

Museum Barli (Barli Art Museum)
Address: Jalan Prof. Sutami 91
Telephone/Fax: 022-2011898
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday 09:00 - 15:30; closed on public holidays


Museum Geologi (Geology Museum)
Address: Jalan Diponegoro 57
Telephone: 022-7203205 - 08 (hunting)
Opening hours: Monday to Thursday 09:00 to 15:30; Saturday & Sunday 09:00 - 13:00; Friday and holidays closed.

Museum Konperensi Asia-Afrika (The Asian African Conference Museum)
Address: Jalan Asia Afrika 65
Telephone: 022-4233564
Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday 08:00 - 15:00; closed on public holidays

Museum Pos (Postal Museum)
Address: Jalan Cilaki 73
Telephone: 022-4206195 ext. 153
Opening hours: Monday to Friday 09:00 - 16:00

Museum Negeri Jawa Barat "Sri Baduga" (Sri Baduga West Java Provincial Museum)
Address: Jalan B.K.R. (Lingar Selatan) 185
Telephone: 022-5210976, 022-5223214
Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday 08:00 - 16:00; Sunday 08:00 - 14:00

Museum Mandala Wangsit Siliwangi (Military Museum)
Address: Jalan Lembong 38
Telephone: 022-4203393, 022-4239299
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 08:00 - 15:00