Remembering Disaster Through Architecture (My Visit to the Museum Tsunami in Banda Aceh)

Today, December 26, 2025, is the 21st anniversary of the Boxing Day Tsunami that struck Banda Aceh in 2004. So it seems like an appropriate time to visit the Museum Tsunami Aceh. I had tried twice before to visit this museum, but it had been closed due to the ongoing blackouts from the flooding and landslides that had taken place weeks before. But on this day, it was finally open.

It was a bit disappointing to find that though the museum was open, many of the exhibits were closed for repairs and renovations. In particular, I'd heard that the entrance was a dramatic tunnel with a multimedia display designed to give the feeling of being in a tsunami yourself. However, that exhibit was closed. In fact, I had no idea where it even could have been. I saw no evidence of it anywhere.

I was also surprised to find a certain lack of actual information about the tsunami itself. As I walked around the outside and inside, I slowly came to the realization that this museum was not really about information and knowledge. It was designed and funded more as a memorial and was meant to exist more in the area of emotions, symbolism, and remembering.

I hope you enjoy my thoughts and commentary as I explore this important place in Banda Aceh.

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CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Is it open?
04:02 - Pay with QRIS?
08:25 - Entrance Lobby & Maps
12:42 - Media & Disaster Portrayals
16:13 - Tsunami Survival Strategies
19:50 - Tsunami Documentary
24:04 - Tsunami Evacuation & Warnings
27:57 - Effective Foreign Aid
36:29 - USAID & Helsinki Agreement
44:40 - Specialty Aid Teams
50:40 - Post Museum Coffee
55:36 - Navy Ship Evacuation
01:01:53 - Conclusion & End Credits