Culture Minister Inspects Song Terus Museum, Pushes for Development of Cultural Centre

Indonesia’s Culture Minister (Menbud), Fadli Zon, conducted an inspection of the Song Terus Museum located in Pacitan Regency, East Java. This museum serves as a centre for prehistoric information, showcasing various archaeological findings from the Song Terus Cave area, which records traces of ancient human life in southern Java.

During the inspection, Fadli Zon stressed the importance of developing the Song Terus Museum as an educational and cultural centre capable of presenting a complete narrative of human civilisation’s journey in the Nusantara. He explained that the Song Terus area holds important evidence of the continuity of human life, with cultural findings estimated to be up to 300,000 years old, as well as prehistoric human remains such as Mbah Sayem, aged around 8,500 years.

Research in this area, Fadli Zon continued, has been ongoing for a long time and involves various researchers, from the colonial era such as Von Koenigswald to Indonesian archaeologists, including R.P. Suyono. All research results are now presented to the public through the Song Terus Museum in an easily understandable educational narrative.

“At this museum, we can witness a complete series of human civilisation’s journey in Pacitan, from the beginning to modern humans as they are now,” said Fadli Zon in his statement on Monday (30/3/2026).

Fadli Zon also assessed that strengthening the museum’s function needs to be continuously carried out through the provision of facilities that support public learning experiences, including an auditorium, 3D film screenings, and cultural arts performance spaces.

“This is not just a place for storing artefacts, but also a very important centre for education and cultural literacy,” he added.

Concluding his visit, Fadli Zon reaffirmed his commitment to promoting the development of the Song Terus Museum as an inclusive and sustainable centre for education and culture. He hopes that this museum can become one of the active cultural pockets, not only in preservation but also in utilising cultural heritage as a means of learning for the wider community.

For information, the Song Terus Museum was built to highlight the results of archaeological research in the Pacitan karst area, which has been ongoing for several decades. This site is known as one of the important locations in prehistoric studies in Indonesia, with findings in the form of stone tools, faunal remains, and evidence of human activities that indicate long-term habitation continuity. This area is also part of the Gunung Sewu karst landscape, which holds significant scientific and cultural value.

Attending the event were, among others, Pacitan Regent Indrata Nur Bayuaji; Director General of Cultural Protection and Tradition, Restu Gunawan; and Secretary of the Directorate General of Cultural Protection and Tradition, Wawan Yogaswara.