Retrospective on Gedung Pancasila: Venue for Pancasila Day Commemoration

Gedung Pancasila in Jakarta is the venue for the Pancasila Day ceremony, led directly by President Prabowo Subianto on Monday, 1 June 2026.

The choice of location is deliberate, as Gedung Pancasila was the site of the BPUPKI session that formulated Indonesia’s foundational state philosophy of Pancasila.

Currently, the building is situated within the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs complex.

There are no official records detailing the exact construction date of Gedung Pancasila.

Several historical sources indicate it was built around 1830.

Originally constructed as the residence of the Dutch East Indies military commander, who also served as Lieutenant Governor-General, the building was named after Duke of Saxe-Weimar, who held the command from 1848 to 1851.

The area later became known as Taman Pejambon, which previously housed a military complex.

The former commander’s residence was subsequently repurposed as a conference venue for the Volksraad, the People’s Representative Council.

Consequently, the building was officially named Gedung Volksraad in May 1918 by Governor-General Limburg Stirum.

The Volksraad was tasked with submitting proposals to the government, responding to government inquiries on political matters, and providing advice on actions to be taken by the Japanese Military Government.