{{Short description|Museum in Banten, Indonesia}} thumb|right|Benteng Heritage Museum's interior The '''Benteng Heritage Museum''' ({{langx|id|Museum Benteng Heritage}}) is a heritage site and museum in ''Pasar Lama'', the old market district in Tangerang, Banten, Indonesia. Located near the river Cisadane, it is the first Indonesian museum that highlights the history and heritage of ethnic Chinese in Indonesia.<ref name="goindonesia">{{cite web|title=Museum Benteng Heritage Tangerang|url=http://www.goindonesia.com/id/hotels/indonesia/jawa/jakarta/tangerang/museum_benteng_heritage|accessdate=12 May 2014|archive-date=27 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140227004306/http://www.goindonesia.com/id/hotels/indonesia/jawa/jakarta/tangerang/museum_benteng_heritage|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.beritasatu.com/destinasi/248217-mengenal-museum-peranakan-tionghoa-satusatunya-di-indonesia.html |title=Mengenal Museum Peranakan Tionghoa Satu-satunya di Indonesia |author=Mutia Nugraheni |date=February 11, 2015}}</ref>
Benteng Heritage Museum is housed in a traditional, vernacular ''Peranakan'' Chinese building.<ref name="benteng"/> Built in 1684, it is one of the oldest historic structures in Tangerang, and is within walking distance of the city's oldest temple, Boen Tek Bio.<ref name="benteng">{{cite web | title=Sekilas tentang MBH | url=http://bentengheritage.com/MBH_Site/Tentang_MBH.html | publisher=BentengHeritage.com | accessdate=10 May 2014 | url-status=dead | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140512221157/http://bentengheritage.com/MBH_Site/Tentang_MBH.html | archivedate=12 May 2014 }}</ref><ref name="Tempo 2017">{{cite news|last1=Parera|first1=Philipus|title=Udaya Halim: Pelestari Budaya Tionghoa Betawi|url=https://metro.tempo.co/read/887036/udaya-halim-pelestari-budaya-tionghoa-betawi|accessdate=19 April 2018|work=Tempo|publisher=Tempo|date=24 June 2017|language=id-ID}}</ref>
==Heritage conservation== Prior to its conversion into a museum, the original building was very poorly maintained, and was occupied by local Benteng Chinese.<ref name="kompas">{{cite web| title=Museum Benteng Heritage, The Pearl of Tangerang | url=http://travel.kompas.com/read/2013/10/12/1010221/Museum.Benteng.Heritage.The.Pearl.of.Tangerang | publisher=travel.kompas.com | date=2013 | accessdate=10 May 2014}}</ref><ref name="detik">{{cite web| title=Museum Ini Jadi Saksi Sejarah China Benteng Tangerang | url=http://travel.detik.com/read/2013/10/25/155100/2373996/1025/museum-ini-jadi-saksi-sejarah-china-benteng-tangerang | publisher=travel.detik.com | date=2013 | accessdate=12 May 2014}}</ref> Believing that the building had significant historic and cultural value, a local entrepreneur, Udaya Halim, acquired the heritage property in 2009.<ref name="kompas"/> Halim grew up in Tangerang's historic ''Pasar Lama'' area, but moved with his family to Perth, Western Australia during the Asian economic crisis.<ref name="Bendon 2012">{{cite news|last1=Bendon|first1=Olive|title=Udaya Halim, Si Anak Nakal Perekat Mata Rantai Peranakan Tionghoa Benteng|url=https://www.kompasiana.com/oli3ve/udaya-halim-si-anak-nakal-perekat-mata-rantai-peranakan-tionghoa-benteng_5512306e813311c353bc6375|accessdate=19 April 2018|work=kompasiana.com|publisher=Kompas|date=July 9, 2012|language=id}}</ref>
He oversaw a careful restoration of the building, returning it to its original state.<ref name="kompas"/> The process took two years.<ref name="kompas"/> Additional Peranakan Chinese decorative elements, including a partition screen, were added to enhance the Chinese-Indonesian character of the new museum.<ref name="kompas"/> All the additional decoration was based on a thorough academic study of other structures from a similar period since no data existed regarding the museum's original appearance.<ref name="kompas"/>
==See also== * Boen Tek Bio * Benteng Chinese * Chinese Indonesians
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
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category:tangerang Category:Museums in Banten Category:Museums of Chinese culture abroad Category:2011 establishments in Indonesia Category:Museums established in 2011 Category:History museums in Indonesia Category:Ethnographic museums in Indonesia Category:Chinese Indonesian culture Category:Tourist attractions in Banten
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