Holiday Ayo - The Ullen Sentalu Museum displays the culture and life of the nobles of the Mataram Dynasty (Surakarta Sunanate, Yogyakarta Sultanate, Mangkunegaran Praja, and Pakualaman Duchy) along with a collection of various batiks (both Yogyakarta and Surakarta styles). This museum is located in Pakem District (Kaliurang), Sleman Regency, Yogyakarta Special Region.

The name of this unique-sounding museum turns out to be an abbreviation of a Javanese sentence "Ulating blencong sejatine tataraning lumaku". The sentence means that the flame of the blencong lamp (the lamp used during the shadow puppet show) is a human guide in stepping and living life.



This museum was initiated by the Haryono family, a batik family in Yogyakarta who is still a descendant of royalty. They like to collect Javanese cultural heritage because they really love the history of Indonesia, especially Java.

Currently, in addition to donations from the Haryono family, the collection of the Ullen Sentalu Museum is also obtained from a grant from the Ulating Blencong Foundation (the museum manager) and elders of the Mataram royal family.

Entering this museum, you can see many building pillars made of natural stone like a tropical house. After passing through several rooms, you will find a white building with a pointed facade, a kind of European castle.

The architectural design concept of Ullen Sentalu Museum was inspired by the statement of Yoshio Taniguchi, the Japanese architect who redesigned the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), who said that architecture as the highest work of art does not appear as a separate design, but is integrated with the museum collections in it. in a habitat.

At the Ullen Sentalu Museum, visitors can see many paintings and photos of nobles from that era, collections of Solo and Yogyakarta batik cloths that have their own meaning, ancient gamelan, statues of Hindu and Buddhist cultures, and other relics.

One of the most interesting rooms in the Ullen Sentalu Museum is the Poetry Room for Tineke. Tineke is the Dutch name of the daughter of Sunan Surakarta Pakubuwono XI.

Experiencing immense heartbreak because the man she loved was deemed not an “equal” by her parents, Putri Tineke received many love letters and poetry of consolation from relatives and friends. You can see the contents of the letters in this room.

At the Ullen Sentalu Museum, there are regulations that do not allow visitors to take pictures in any form in almost all areas of the museum.

But don't worry, there are some special spots provided for taking pictures. One of them is in the area of the replica of the reliefs of Borobudur Temple which is tilted, depicting the declining interest of the younger generation in Javanese art and culture.

This museum always provides tour guide facilities that will accompany visitors through each room. With an interactive way of delivery, you will also focus on listening to each explanation.

After passing through several areas of the museum, the tour guide will invite visitors to take a short break and provide a drink of Wedang Ratu Mas.

The name "Ratu Mas" is taken from the name of the empress Sri Susuhunan Pakubuwono X. It is said that the concoction of this drink is believed to make people stay young just like the empress's appearance.

How to Get to Ullen Sentalu Museum

Located 25 km north of downtown Yogyakarta, you can visit this museum using private or public vehicles.

By Private Vehicle:
1. Via Kaliurang Street (30-45 minutes): follow the main road to the north for 18 km.
2. Via Palagan Army Students Street (25-35 minutes): follow the main road to the north for 10 km, turn right at the Pulowatu T-junction and follow the road for 3 km, turn left at the Pasar Pakem T-junction, follow the main road for 6.5 km.

Ullen Sentalu Museum Entrance Ticket Price

Domestic visitors: IDR 40,000 (Adults), IDR 20,000 (5-12 years)
Foreign visitors: IDR 100,000 (Adults), IDR 60,000 (5-12 years).
The museum is open every day except Monday.