Jam Gadang, The Icon Monument of Bukittinggi
- ANTARA FOTO/Iggoy el Fitra
VIVA – West Sumatra is famous for the city of Padang which holds tourist historical buildings, namely the Clock Tower or locally known as Jam Gadang. The building is located in the city of Bukittinggi. The location from the city of Padang is about 72 km, the distance can be reached within 2 hours. The Jam Gadang is the main icon of the city of Bukittinggi, which is a relic of the Queen of the Netherlands.
Jam Gadang was founded by the Dutch East Indies colonial government on the orders of Queen Wilhelmina who was the Queen of the Netherlands. This clock was a gift for the secretary (controleur) of the City of Bukittinggi (Fort de Kock) who served at the time, HR Rookmaaker.
The Jam Gadang Monument stands 26 meters high in the middle of Sabai Nan Aluih Park which is considered a benchmark for the center point (zero point) of Bukittinggi City. The construction does not use an iron frame and cement, but uses a mixture of limestone, egg white, and sand.
At Jam Gadang, there is uniqueness such as the Jam Gadang Tower Building has 4 levels. The first level is the clerk's room, the second level is the pendulum clock. While on the third level is where the clock machine is located and the fourth level is the top of the tower where the clock bell is placed. The bell above has something to do with the machine that rings at certain hours.
The bagonjong-shaped roof at the top of the tower that we can now see is not the original form of the building in its early days. The early design of the Clock Tower crest was in European style, with a statue of a rooster at the top.
Entering the era of Japanese occupation, the roof of Jam Gadang was changed to follow the Japanese architectural style. When the independence period arrived, the roof was remodeled into a bagonjong roof which is a characteristic of the original Minangkabau architecture.
The last renovation of Jam Gadang was in 2010 by the Cultural Heritage Preservation Agency (BPCB) with the support of the Bukittinggi city government and the Dutch Embassy in Jakarta. The renovation was completed on the 262nd anniversary of the city of Bukittinggi on December 22, 2010.
In July 2018, the Jam Gadang area was revitalized again by the government. The construction cost is IDR 18 billion and have been completed in February 2019.
The clockwork used in this monument is a rare item that only two units were produced by the Vortmann Recklinghausen factory, Germany.
One of the two types of production is still being used in the legendary city tower of London, England, namely Big Ben or known in Indonesia as the Big Ben Clock.
The working system in it moves the clock mechanically through two large pendants that balance each other. This system allows the watch to continue to function for years even without any energy source.
The machine on the third floor moves the clock facing the four cardinal directions. The diameter of each clockwise rotation area is 80 centimeters.
All hour digits are made using the Roman numbering system, but the number four is written in an unusual way, namely with the four letters 'I' (IIII) instead of the word 'IV'. It makes this Jam Gadang look unique.
At the Jam Gadang Tower Building, visitors and tourists can do many activities, such as going around the Sabai Jam Gadang park which is located in the Sabai Nan Aluih Park area. This park looks very similar to European-style gardening.
Then visitors can enjoy the attraction of the fountain. Then, visitors can climb the Jam Gadang Tower to the 4th level. After that, visitors can look for souvenirs for other families.
There is no entrance fee for the Tower Clock Tower. It is Free. However, there are a lot of food and culinary snacks in this place. Therefore, visitors must prepare a lot of money.
The Tower Clock Tower provides very complete facilities, namely toilets, trash cans, inns / hotels, places of worship, parking areas, guides and even photography services. For operating hours, the Tower Clock Tower is open every day within 24 hours.
