Museum Batik Danar Hadi

Solo, Indonesia

Houses the 10,000 piece private batik collection of batik magnate Santosa Doellah, the owner of Batik Danar Hadi. It is reputedly the biggest in Indonesia. The museum displays a wide variety of batik from different cultural influences and periods - Javanese, Chinese, Indian and even colonial Dutch. An interesting piece is the Dutch-influenced "Snow White" and "Little Red Riding Hood" batik, which depict scenes from the namesake fairytale stories. Adjacent to the museum is a batik shop as well as a restaurant (Soga Cafe) offering traditional Javanese and Dutch colonial menus. Behind the museum is a workshop which allows visitors to see the process of traditional batik making from start to finish. The building itself is an architectural gem; a former 19th century mansion of a Javanese noble family named Ndalem Wuryaningratan with an architectural style that combines traditional Javanese and classical European styles. Entry fee: Rp. 25,000. Entry fee to the museum includes a guided tour of the collection conducted in English.