Heritage sites in Bogor poorly maintained

Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post, Bogor

At least three forts built during the Dutch and Japanese occupations and two Dutch mausoleums in Bogor have lapsed into poor condition and could be completely destroyed if no action was taken, heritage experts said.

The three forts are located in Maseng village, Lepeus village and Pasir Angin village in Leuwiliang. The grave of Van den Bosch, a Dutch agriculturalist, is located at Cibedug village, Ciawi, and the grave of Dutch architect PR Motman is at Cinangneng village, in Leuwiliang.

The Bogor regency tourism and culture agency head, E. Sukarna Natawirya, said his agency could do nothing about the heritage sites' poor condition because they were under the supervision of the West Java archeological and cultural agency now based in Serang, the capital of Banten province.

"Any projects at the sites, including renovations of the heritage sites, are conducted by the provincial administration. We are never informed of them," he said on Wednesday.

Bogor is home to 63 heritage sites, many of which have been poorly maintained.

Hanjuang Bogas cultural foundation head Eman Sulaeman said he was concerned about the looting of heritage sites. The Motman mausoleum's marble stones had been stolen by locals for the construction of a house, he said.

"Motman was a Dutch architect. He designed and built two bridges in Bogor -- the Merah bridge on Jl. Kapten Muslihat and the Anyar bridge at the heart of Bogor. We should keep his mausoleum well-maintained and even make it into a tourist destination," he said.

He recently accompanied a professor from Tohoku University, Japan, Iwayumi Suzuki, to see the fort in Pasir Angin. A monument with a Japanese inscription was erected on the site in 1998. When Eman and Suzuki visited, the monument was covered with coarse grass and the fort's bricks had been scattered.

Eman hoped both the regency and municipal administrations would cooperate in maintaining the heritage sites.

His foundation would meet the Dutch and Japanese embassies to discuss the sites as it was feared they would be completely destroyed if no action was taken.

Sukarna said his agency would be more than happy to work together with the Bogor municipal administration and the embassies of the Netherlands and Japan.