Cultural properties of Indonesia

Cultural properties of Indonesia are those items defined by Indonesian law as of "important value for history, science, and culture", and include both man-made artefacts and natural objects.^[1] The cultural properties number more than 8,000 and include ancient Hindu and Buddhist temples, mosques, historic colonial buildings, forts, art galleries, national parks and beaches. A number of the sites are World Heritage Sites.

The current regime for the protection and promotion of the cultural properties of Indonesia (Indonesian: benda cagar budaya) is governed by the Act of the Republic of Indonesia No. 5, 1992, concerning Items of Cultural Property.^[2][3] Such measures are to be understood against the background of Section 32 of the 1945 Constitution, according to which "The Government develops the National Culture of Indonesia".^[4] Regulation no. 10 of 1993 prescribes the registration of items of cultural property, which is to be undertaken by the relevant second level administrative area.^[5] As of 2008, some 8,232 immovable cultural properties and heritage sites have been identified, the last being those places in which items of cultural property are contained.^[6]