LOSING THE SENSE OF THE FORTRESS: TOURISTS' PERCEPTIONS OF THE ADAPTATION STRATEGY OF FORT VREDEBURG IN YOGYAKARTA, INDONESIA

Abstract

Adaptation under the Burra Charter means modifying a place that has historical and cultural significance with existing or proposed uses. This strategy has been implemented in many places, such as Fort Vredeburg, which is currently being used as a museum. This research aims to evaluate the adaptation strategy for Fort Vredeburg, which has become a museum. The methods used were in-depth interviews with three respondents outside Yogyakarta who had finished enjoying Fort Vredeburg and also autoethnography for documentation, raising issues, and validating information from respondents to avoid subjectivity bias. The results obtained by the adaptation strategy carried out at Fort Vredeburg were proven to be able to preserve the physical form of the fort, but the sense of the fort itself was lost because the values of the fort could not be felt by visitors. There are two recommendations for its management. Firstly, information regarding the fort, which is very minimal, needs to be further enriched because visitors who visit the fort have an interest in Fort Vredeburg, not just the museum. Second, visual preservation around the fort needs to be maintained because previously the function of the fort was defense, so the visual aspect was an inseparable part of the fort. The visuals around the fort that are not maintained have proven to reduce the sense and values of the fort and ultimately disappoint visitors. This research will provide insight into conservation efforts in the form of adaptation, especially for historic fort sites.

Keywords

• historic fort site
• landscape tourism
• sense of place
• significant value
• tourism management
• visual preservation