Historic Gold Treasure: 30,000 Tonnes of Gold Discovered in Banten

Gold remains a commodity whose prices continue to rise steadily. Its lustre has earned it the status of a safe haven asset, meaning its price tends to surge during periods of economic crisis.

In Indonesia, historical records document the discovery of vast gold reserves in the Cikotok region of Banten. Located near the capital, Jakarta, this area once yielded a total of 30,000 tonnes of gold.

This discovery not only brought windfall profits but also marked an important milestone that opened a new era in Indonesia’s national gold mining industry.

In fact, the colonial government had long heard rumours of a gold source south of Batavia (now Jakarta) in the Cikotok region, located in what is now Banten province. Cikotok was relatively close to the centre of Batavia—only 200 kilometres away.

This news was astonishing because of its potential profitability. To verify that it was not mere speculation, the government commissioned a geological survey led by Dutch researcher W.F.F. Oppenoorth.

From 1919, Oppenoorth and his team departed from Sukabumi to traverse the jungles of Java to the suspected gold source location. The exploration was accompanied by the construction of roads and tunnels in preparation for potential gold mining operations.

Ultimately, Oppenoorth’s research proved fruitful. Indeed, the Cikotok region contained an extremely abundant gold source. However, mining proved difficult. The government had to clear forests and construct numerous new tunnels.

By 1928, a total of 25 tunnels had been successfully constructed. These penetrated steep hills, high plateaus, and narrow valleys.

“Approximately 25 tunnels have now been constructed, with only some reaching depths exceeding 135 metres,” the Sumatra-bode newspaper reported on 2 March 1928.

The expenditure was substantial. The government spent 80,000 guilders—equivalent to billions of rupiah per year.

However, the outlay proved worthwhile. By March 1928, the long-standing gold rumours were finally confirmed. Cikotok yielded 30,000 tonnes of gold hidden underground.

“Gold totalling 30,000 tonnes has been discovered at Cikotok,” the Sumatra-bode reported.

Following this discovery, it caused a sensation throughout Indonesia, as the government stood to realise enormous profits. Subsequently, the colonial government granted operational rights to NV Mijnbouw Maatchappij Zuid Bantam.

From this point forward, gold mining proceeded on a massive scale. Transport routes for ore were extended beyond Sukabumi. According to the de Indische Courant newspaper (25 July 1939), the colonial government constructed new access routes from Rangkasbitung and Pelabuhan Ratu.

Additionally, a processing plant with a capacity of 20 tonnes per day was built. However, the plant proved insufficient to handle all the gold extracted due to its sheer quantity. During mining operations, labourers frequently discovered gold nuggets of varying weights.

“During mining work, gold of varying weights was frequently discovered. The highest reached 126 grammes,” the de Indische Courant reported (25 July 1939).

By 1933, gold mining had achieved notable success. The Cikotok mining region covered 400 square kilometres. Gold could be obtained by digging only 50 metres deep. Moreover, the government was able to extract significantly larger quantities of gold.

“The amount of gold revealed through exploration totalled more than 61,000 tonnes of gold, valued at 3.68 billion guilders,” the de Locomotief reported (29 March 1933).

Nevertheless, the abundance of gold benefited only one party: the colonial government. They grew increasingly wealthy. Meanwhile, the indigenous population received no benefit or improvement in welfare from the gold mining, despite promises of prosperity from the colonial authorities.

In short, the Cikotok gold source became the largest gold mining operation ever owned by the colonial government, continuing under the Republic of Indonesia. In the independence era, the Cikotok gold mine was taken over by NV Perusahaan Pembangunan Pertambangan and subsequently transferred to PT. Aneka Tambang in 1974.

The history of Cikotok gold mining ended in 2005 due to depletion of its gold reserves. Despite its closure, the legacy of Cikotok mining continued through a larger mining operation, Freeport in Papua.