Acting Governor of East Java, Adhy Karyono, told the media that VP Gibran paid the fort a visit to review the results of the renovation of the historic tourism site.
"He also asked when the fort opened to the public and inquired about the price of tickets," he remarked.
Vice President Gibran also made the most of his visit to the Pendem Fort to hand out milk to other visitors, including elementary school students.
Moreover, the vice president presented the students with bags containing notebooks, crayons, lunch boxes, and tumblers.
He also distributed t-shirts and took some pictures with the visitors during his brief visit to the cultural heritage.
Acting Head of Ngawi District, Tiat S. Suwardi, among others, also accompanied the vice president at the fort.
The administration of the 7th President Joko Widodo had taken the initiative to revitalize the Pendem Fort under a national strategic project, with the objective of transforming it into a more appealing tourism destination for domestic and international visitors.
A budget of Rp113.7 billion (US$7.2 million) was mobilized to fund the revitalization project. The initial plan was for former President Jokowi to inaugurate the fort after the renovation.
Formerly utilized as a base of the Indonesian Army (TNI), the Van den Bosch Fort is now open to the public with an entry fee of only Rp10 thousand (US$0.63) per visitor.
However, the transfer of the fort's management rights from the TNI AD to the Ngawi district government is still underway.
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Translator: Louis R, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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