Museums

SONOBUDOYO MUSEUM
The Sonobudoyo museum is located on the north side of the North Square of the Sultan’s Palace. It was built in 1935 according to Javanese architecture. The architecture of the gateway resembles to the entrance of the mosque in Kudus in the way to the auditorium and main joglo structure which are connected, while Kudus is the most ancient town in the island of Java beside Kotagede.

The museum has the second most complete collection of cultural artifacts after the central museum in Jakarta, like ceramic from the Nelithic Age, statues and bronze articles from the 8th, 9th, and 10th century originating from the temples of Central Java, various kinds of masks and wayang (puppets for shadow play), a gamelan or orchestra, an ancient weapon collection, heirlooms, and artifacts from Bali. This museum is also an interesting library that keeps various ancient books related
to the Javanese culture.

DIRGANTARA MANDALA MUSEUM
This museum is located in the Lanuma Adisucipto complex and keeps pictures and models of aeroplanes. Some are models of aeroplanesleft by the Japanese army which then were used by the Indonesian airforce, Visitors have to inform the officer in charge at least one day in advance to visit the museum.

AFFANDI MUSEUM
This museum is the home and studio of Affandi, a painter of international fame. It is located on jalan Adisucipto, the road to the airport. The building is of unique architectural design and stands on the bank of the Gajah Wong rive. It keeps a collection of Affandi’s finest art work during his lifetime.

BIOLOGY MUSEUM
This museum is located in jalan Sultan Agung. It is part of the Faculty of Gadjah Mada University as a means of education and used particularly related to knowledge about flora and fauna found in Indonesia. It is equipped with diorama setting, depicting the life of the animals found in Indonesia and the natural habitat in which they live. Among there animals, is the Komodo (Veranus Komodoensis), the biggest giant lizard in the world that only lives on Komodo island and the only remainder of the prehistoric animal.