Kota Lama Semarang in Central Java has been named as a national heritage site by the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture.
Deputy Mayor of Semarang, Hevearita Gunaryanti Rahayu confirmed on August 21. “Yes, it is correct,” she told Kompas.com, referring to the status of Kota Lama Semarang. The deputy mayor, who is also the head of the Old City Management Board (BPK2L), said the new status for Kota Lama Semarang was based on a new Regulation of the Ministry of Education and Culture No.682/P/2020, signed on August 12, 2020.
The deputy mayor, who is known as Ita, said that the plan had been going through a long process since 2017. It started with the plan to promote Kota Lama Semarang to become a UNESCO Heritage site. To be listed as national heritage, a city should be listed first in provincial level.
Ita and the team then fought for the national heritage status. However, through the discussions with the experts of the national heritage sites, it would not be enough for Kota Lama Semarang alone to fulfill the requirements. The reason was, she said, many countries such as in European countries already have centuries-old buildings that are similar to Kota Lama Semarang.
The national heritage sites team suggested that the historical stories behind Kota Lama Semarang and its surrounding areas must be emphasized, she said. “Currently, Kota Lama area is a part of Semarang Old Town. Its areas are made up of three areas namely Kauman, Malay, and China Town,” she said. “This is the highlight of our city. Since thousands of years ago, four ethnic groups have coexisted peacefully until now,” Ita added.
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Kota Lama Semarang becomes a national heritage site