Jakarta. Indonesia will reconstruct the historic Jakarta residence where founding president Sukarno proclaimed the nation's independence in 1945, reviving one of the country's most significant historical landmarks more than six decades after it was demolished.

Culture Minister Fadli Zon said on Wednesday that work on the reconstruction would begin soon, with the new building designed to closely replicate the architecture and construction of the original house on Jalan Pegangsaan Timur No. 56 in Central Jakarta.

"This is a very important national icon. We intend to rebuild it as faithfully as possible," Fadli told reporters in Jakarta.

The house was demolished in the early 1960s on Sukarno's own instructions. Over the years, monuments and memorials were erected on the site, leaving no visible trace of the original residence where Sukarno read the proclamation of Indonesia's independence on Aug. 17, 1945.

According to Fadli, the reconstructed building will be converted into a museum documenting the drafting of the proclamation text and the historic ceremony at which Sukarno declared Indonesia's independence.

"We want people to experience the history, potentially through immersive exhibitions and other museum features," he said.

The government aims to complete the reconstruction by the end of 2026.

Calls to rebuild the historic residence have been made by historians and public figures for decades, including during the presidency of Soeharto, who succeeded Sukarno in 1967.

However, successive administrations -- including that of Sukarno's daughter, former president Megawati Soekarnoputri -- did not approve the proposal for various reasons.

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