1840s Fort Van Den Bosch Revitalized, Open to Visitors January 2023

TheIndonesia.co - The Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) is revitalizing Fort Van Den Bosch or locally known as Benteng Pendem. The preservation of this cultural heritage area is to encourage tourism in East Java, especially in the Ngawi regency.

"The Pendem Fort area is a cultural heritage, so the arrangement must be done carefully so that its cultural values are maintained," said PUPR Minister Basuki Hadimuljono in a written statement received in Jakarta, Monday, April 18, 2022.

Minister Hadimuljono also instructed reforestation of the Fort Pendem area so that it does not look arid. Benteng Pendem is adapted to the function as a tourist destination that is in harmony with the environment and maintains local wisdom.

The Benteng Pendem rehabilitation heritage area is carried out by adopting the Adaptive Reuse Concept, which is to restore the function of cultural heritage buildings with new functions and to a minimum change the shape of old buildings while maintaining cultural values (cultural significance). The principle is to maintain the old building concept and strengthen the structure using steel construction on the inside.

The rehabilitation of Fort Pendem Ngawi began on December 10, 2020, involving the East Java Province Cultural Heritage Conservation Center. The work was carried out by the contractor PT Nindya Karya (Persero) Tbk with a contract value of Rp113.7 billion which was used to rehabilitate 13 buildings within the Benteng complex and reorganize the Benteng Core Area. The 13 buildings include army barracks, officers' mess, public kitchens, generals' residences, offices, bastions, and gates.

Then other arrangements are also made, including building roads, drainage, pedestrians, and landscapes. Currently, the construction progress has reached 75 percent, it is hoped that this rehabilitation can be completed on time in January 2023.

Director of Building Arrangements at the Directorate General of Human Settlements, Ministry of PUPR, Boby Ali Azhari, said that the rehabilitation of Fort Pendem was carried out to preserve the cultural heritage buildings that were built in the 1840s while increasing tourism potential in Ngawi Regency.

“The impression of the first person at the entrance must be enhanced by referring to ancient photo documentation. However, there is no need to build a bridge, the important thing is that the water flows through the road, you can use concrete under it," said Boby.

The Pendem Fort tourist area is located on Jalan Untung Surapati, Ngawi Regency, on an area of 42,181 m2 with a core area of 7,500 m2. This location can be a tourist destination in Ngawi Regency, about 2 hours ride from Surabaya City via the Trans Java Toll Road. The fort is about 3 km from downtown Ngawi Regency capitol.