The old buildings, including Malang's City Hall, the Bank Indonesia office, Kota Baru Train Station, schools and churches, were named cultural heritage sites based on Law No. 11/2010 and Regional Government Regulation (Perda) No. 1/2018.

Malang Mayor Sutiaji handed the certificates to the building owners at City Hall on Monday. He said the buildings had the potential to provide historical and architectural information, making them interesting tourist attractions.

Sutiaji said that the number of Malang cultural heritage sites was expected to increase following research conducted by the Malang City Cultural Heritage Expert Team.

“As the buildings are regulated by law, the owners need to preserve them and are prohibited from renovating them without the approval of the city administration,” explained Sutiaji, adding that sanctions would be imposed for violation of the rules.

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Sutiaji said the cultural heritage site owners were expected to receive some benefits, such as discounts on property taxes. However, the city administration had yet to decide on the amount.

M Iskandar Sjachran, representative of Malang cultural heritage sites, said the building owners welcomed the plan.

“We hope that in the future we will also receive operational support, similar to other cultural heritage sites in other provinces,” he said.

The manager of Hotel Pelangi, one of the longest-standing hotels in Malang, explained that the maintenance costs of old buildings were considerable.

“We’re also trying to beautify the building as one of our [efforts] to preserve it,” said Iskandar. (jes/wng)