RRI.CO.ID, Semarang - The Semarang City Administration in Central Java is set to repatriate a valuable collection of historical artifacts and maritime civilization archives that have been preserved for decades in Medan, North Sumatra.

The official transfer of these historical assets took place at the Rumah Budaya Tangga in Medan on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, where Semarang Mayor Agustina Wilujeng Pramestuti formally accepted the collection from prominent private history collector Jimmy Lassang Manahara Siahaan.

The acquisition was carried out through the Semarang City Archives and Library Agency, which will oversee the immediate conservation and integration of these items into the city's public archives. The collection features five distinct categories of high-value artifacts and documents spanning from 1892 to 1955.

Included in the transfer is an antique ceremonial lamp, alongside ten original shares of the Hotel Du Pavillon Semarang dating back to 1892.

The collection also contains corporate share certificates from the Semarangsche Administratie Maatschappij issued in 1908, as well as a Bewijs van Aandeel (share certificate) from the Meubelindustrie Andriesse furniture company from 1909. Finally, the acquisition features an authentic Surat Sero (share certificate) from N.V. Seng Tek Tjian dated 1955.

These corporate financial instruments serve as vital primary sources that officially record the evolution of trade, heavy manufacturing, foreign investment, and economic dynamics that cemented Semarang's status as one of the most critical maritime trading hubs in the archipelago.

"We ensure that this heritage will be properly conserved so that its value remains eternal and is not damaged by time," Mayor Agustina said, as quoted by Antara.

She committed to aggressively tracking down and consolidating scattered historical documents held in private collections across the country to rebuild the city's collective memory.

History collector, Jimmy Lassang Manahara Siahaan expressed complete confidence in handing over his meticulously curated pieces to the municipal administration. He explained that these securities, alongside news archives from the 1830s and corporate bonds worth millions of Dutch Gulden, offer irrefutable, authentic evidence of Semarang’s advanced administrative and commercial infrastructure centuries ago.

"We handed it over to the Semarang City Administration because we saw the mayor's real commitment to preserving it and making it an educational medium for the public," Jimmy noted.

The repatriation ceremony was integrated into a national seminar titled Menyelamatkan Heritage Kota Maritim: Sejarah dan Pengembangannya (Saving Maritime City Heritage: History and Development), held on the sidelines of the 18th National Working Meeting of the Association of Indonesian Municipalities (Apeksi 2026) in Medan. ***