Exploring TB Silalahi Center Museum in Balige

Balige is a new hit. A vacation to North Sumatra becomes more interesting due to the presence of TB Silalahi Center Museum. It is located in Pagar Batu 88 Street, Balige. The museum was built to motivate the youngsters to go after their dreams. As the name suggests, it is a private museum of TB Silalahi. Who is he? He is a great general. The museum displays this man’s journey. The museum also has the other functions. For instance, it becomes a place to store Batak’s culture. Tourists may visit and learn the local culture while enjoying a vacation in Balige.

Inside the TB Silalahi Center Museum
The Museum is situated near to Toba Lake. That means it features beautiful scenery of the lake. It also features 3 levels and a modern interior design. Not to mention it includes Gorga carving. What a stunning place! On the second and third floor, you are able to see the nearby nature like Toba Lake and Balige scene. Visitors are able to enjoy both Batak culture and beautiful landscape in the museum. For families with kids, they can introduce local culture to their children.

Once you reach TB Silalahi Center Museum, you may witness a majestic gate. It features Batak’s ancient artifact. It usually becomes a background for photography. Next, you may find two main buildings. The first building stores TB Silalahi’s personal belongings. There is a statue, an old chopper, a tank, a stuffed tiger. In a nutshell, it is the perfect place to learn past life of this man. The second building is the Batak Balige Museum. As the name implies, it stores traditional items of Batak Tribe.

TB Silalahi was a hard worker and he was a brave soldier. Visitors can learn a little bit information regarding this man. Apart from that, the museum features numerous traditional weapons of Batak Tribe. These include Bodil, Sior, Podang, Ultop, and much more. There is also the ancient advice or wise words. Only local people understand the language. Thus, you must come with a local guide. He will interpret them for you. Another attraction is the miniature of Huta Batak. It is the traditional house of Batak. The house features some components like Gale-Gale, hariara, a stone tomb, etc.

If you want to see the real Huta Batak, you can go to the nearby village. Such ancient building has been there for hundreds of years. The walls feature local carving, especially the house lizard. According to the locals, the house lizard represents Batak’s philosophy. It is because such creature is able to survive regardless of the location. Batak Tribe wants to apply such survivability skill in their daily life.

How to Get There
From Medan, you should use a car or other transportation media. The destination is Balige city. It takes about 7 hours. For a faster option, you can go by air. If you come from Jakarta, you need to head to Silangit Airport in North Tapanuli. From here, you can continue your journey to Soposurung Vilalge Balige. The museum is located near to Sisingamangaraja 17th. No worries. It is situated on the main street, so you can easily find the museum.