Exhibition traces German-Indonesian friendship

Exhibition traces German-Indonesian friendship

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesians owe much to the famous German
ethnologist and medical doctor Adolf Bastian (1826-1905), who
introduced the name Indonesia to the rest of the world through
his extensive research on the archipelago in the 19th century.

Bastian's five-volume work titled Indonesia or the Islands of
the Malay Archipelago spread the name Indonesia to the outside
world. Eventually, Indonesia became the official name of the
nation, then known alternatively as East India, Insulinde and
Nusantara.

Many other Germans made great contributions in boosting
Indonesia and Germany's relationship in the fields of art,
literature, science, technology and business.

But a lot of Indonesians and Germans are of the opinion that
the relationship between the two nations only began a few years
ago, really hitting its stride during the presidency of German-
educated B.J. Habibie between l998 and l999.

As a matter of fact, the relationship started in 1506 when a
representative of the famous Augsburg trading house Welser,
Balthasar, Sprenger undertook a journey to India and afterward
wrote a book in which the Malakka and the Banda islands were for
the first time mentioned in the German language in a 1509 book
titled Merfart (Journey Across the Sea).

The centuries-old relationship between the two countries is
traced in a special exhibition titled Spuren einer Freundschaft-
Deutsch-Indonesische (Tracing the Friendship between Germany and
Indonesia) at the National Archives Building on Jl. Gajah Mada,
Central Jakarta. The exhibition runs from Feb. 16 to the end of
the month.

The exhibit, scheduled to be officially opened by Vice
President Megawati Soekarnoputri on Feb. 15, aims to trace the
German-Indonesian relationship from its beginnings up through the
19th and early 20th century.

This is achieved thanks to the meticulous efforts of Ibu
Tamalia Alisyahbana, head of the National Archives, and German
Ambassador to Indonesia Dr. Heinrich Seeman, whose work made this
exhibition possible.

The idea for the event was put forward by the ambassador, who
was eager to explore the history of the German-Indonesian
relationship.

Dr. Seeman, a law school graduate, is well-known as the author
of books on Nepal, Japan and Indonesia. His first book on
Indonesia is titled From Goethe to Emil Nolde -- Indonesia's
Place in German Literature, Science and Art.

The exhibition will put on display numerous stuffs that serve
as testament to the historically tight bond between the two
countries.

One of the first items is an illustration of the Indonesian
town of Banten, which was printed in 1597 by Georg Keller of
Frankfurt.

Reports

The first records of Indonesia by outsiders were written by
German scholars, soldiers and travelers visiting the archipelago
from the 16th to the 19th centuries. Their reports were made in
the forms of letters, documents, cartography, maps and
engravings.

The exhibition will also show the crucial contributions made
to Indonesia by German scientists such as Eberhard Rumphuis and
Friedrich von Wurmb, whose collections of art and books
constitute the basis of today's National Museum and National
Library collections.

Anther important scientist was Caspar Georg Karl Reinwardt,
who founded the Botanical Park in Bogor, one of the most
extensive botanical parks in the world. His successors, Karl
Ludwig von Blume and Justus K. Habkarl, followed his lead and
made similar contributions to the country.

Phillipp Franz von Siebold also played a significant role.
Siebold was a specialist on Japan who came to Java at the request
of the Dutch during the 1820s and introduced tea plantations to
the island.

Siebold was also responsible for a half-forgotten, though
important episode in the history of Indonesian art. He ordered a
Dresden photographer to document the famous Borobudur Temple in
Central Java in l843. He also documented the art collection of
the Batavian Society for Arts and Science in l845.

The most prominent person appearing in the exhibition,
however, is Franz Wilhelm Junghuhn (1809-1864), the first planter
of the quinine plantations on Java. Junghuhn also published a
number of seminal books on Java and Sumatra, including
Topographic and Scientific Voyages through Java, Batak Country in
Sumatra. These books were vital in telling the outside world
about Indonesia and its islands.

There were also several famous names from German literature
who were in one way or another linked with Indonesia.

These names include Friedrich Schiller, Johann Wolfgang von
Goethe, who was made an honorary member of the Batavia Society
for Arts and Science in l827, Adalbert Chamisso, Heinrich von
Kleist and Theodor Fontane.

In the field of art, the father of modern Indonesian painting,
Raden Saleh Sjarif Bustaman, in the 19th century and Walter Spies
in the 20th century are the two most important figures linking
Indonesian and German art.

Raden Saleh lived in Dresden and Gotha for many years, and
German painter Walter Spies influenced modern Balinese painting,
sculptor, music and dance.

The German influence on architecture in Indonesia is also
vivid. The residence of Duke Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
(1792-1862) is one such example. The residence, located on Jl.
Pejambon (then known as Duke's Lane) in Central Jakarta, is now
called Gedung Pancasila and belongs to the Indonesian Ministry of
Foreign Affairs.

Toko Merah in Central Jakarta, now the office of state-owned
PT Dharma Niaga, was the residence of German-born Dutch governor
General Baron von Imhoff (1705-1751).

Another stunning example of German influence on local
architecture is former painter Raden Saleh's mansion, now Cikini
Hospital in Central Jakarta. Few people know that the building
was modeled after the German castle Callenberg.

Many the painter's works in German museums and private
collections were influenced by the years in which Raden Saleh
lived and worked in Germany. His architectural heritage in
Germany is a small mosque in the vineyards above the valley of
Muglitz near Maxen.

The exhibition also looks at early activities in the field of
industry and trade. To assume that German economic relations with
the archipelago began only after World War II would neglect the
roots which go far deeper than that.

Siemens, just to mention one name, started its activities in
Indonesia as far back as 1855, and Mercedes delivered its first
car to Java in l896. The original railroad laid down by Krupp
dates back to l876 and was discovered by a German engineer during
repair work in Semarang, Central Java.

There are many other items and documentations displayed at the
exhibition. Visiting this exhibit, one can feel the historically
close ties between Germany and Indonesia. (raw)