R.A. KARTINI MUSEUM REMBANG

It is a special museum established on the initiative of the Regent of Rembang Drs. Adnan Widodo (1967) to commemorate the services of the women's emancipation figure R.A. Kartini. When it was first opened, this museum was only as large as the room occupied by R.A. Kartini during her time as the wife of the Regent of Rembang R.M.A.A DjojoAdhiningrat, so it was called the Museum of the RA. Kartini Immortalization Room
In 2011, the RA. Kartini Immortalization Room Museum received revitalization from the Indonesian Ministry of Culture and Tourism. This was due to the policy of the regent at that time, Moch. Salim, M.Hum, to release the regent's official residence to be used as a museum as a whole. Since then, the R.A. Kartini Immortalization Room Museum has changed its nomenclature to the R.A. Kartini Rembang Museum. The area of the RA. Kartini 3,732.4 m² and the land area is 19,306 m².

Figure 15. Gate of the R.A. Kartini Museum in Jepara

(Source: Research Team Documentation, 2024).

The R.A. Kartini Museum in Rembang occupies a pendopo and main building that was once used as the Official Residence of the Regent of Rembang, and was once occupied by R.A. Kartini and her husband K.R.M Adipati Ario Djojoadhiningrat, Regent of Rembang (1889-1912).

At first glance, the museum building looks like a typical Javanese architecture with a large pendopo at the front, but there are actually colonial elements to the building, namely in the columns. The European-style columns are made of a mixture of lime and sand. There are 20 plain white pillars, 10 large white serrated pillars, and 4 main pillars in the form of soko guru made of teak wood.

Although born and raised in Jepara Regency, the name Raden Ayu Kartini or better known as Raden Ajeng Kartini turned out to be more active in the land of Rembang Regency. Since being married to the Regent of Rembang Raden Adipati Aryo Singgih Joyodiningrat in 1903, Kartini who was 24 years old at that time had to leave her birthplace of Jepara and follow her husband to Rembang.

In her household life where she did not have the status of the first wife, Kartini began to actively write her hobby through her letters about women's emancipation. To her friends, a Dutch couple, J.H Abendanon and Rosita Manuela, Kartini never stopped corresponding, pouring out her heart and exchanging ideas.

 

Figure 19. Facade of the R.A. Kartini Museum Rembang in the Rembang Regent's Official Residence complex, Central Java (Source: Research Team Documentation, 2024)