PANGKALPINANG - Indonesia is one of the largest tin producers in the world, Bangka Belitung Islands Province is the largest tin producing area in Indonesia.
No wonder Babel is often referred to as the Island of Tin because of the wealth of natural resources it has. The long history of tin in Bangka Belitung and Indonesia from time to time can be seen at the Indonesian Tin Museum (MTI) Pangkalpinang.
Well, to fill vacation time, MTI Pangkalpinang can be one of the tourist destinations to visit. Apart from being a recreational facility, MTI Pangkalpinang can also provide education about the history of tin mining.
The museum, which is located on Jalan Ahmad Yani, Pangkalpinang City, has 514 collections of tin mining such as tin mining equipment, types of tin blocks, transportation facilities for tin transportation, dredger bowls, monitors, rocks and others.
When entering the Indonesian Tin Museum area, visitors are greeted with a variety of historical relics. In the front yard there is a locomotive that was used to generate electricity. Not far from the locomotive can be found many giant bowls that function in one of the tin mining processes.
The MTI Pangkalpinang building is one of the buildings owned by Banka Tin Winning (BTW), a business entity owned by the colonial government. This white-painted building is very thick with European nuances.
Inside MTI Pangkalpinang, visitors can see firsthand various collections such as biorama of fragments of tin mining during the Dutch colonial era, mock-ups of land mining and marine mining.
Not only that, there are also replicas and history of the Kota Kapur inscription, replicas of tin dredgers and suction vessels, tin block stamps produced by Hoofd Bereau-Banka Tin Winning (BTW), various aids.
At the Museum, you can also try playing with colorful sand or what is known as Topographic 3D modeling
Besides the history of tin mining, there is also the history of white pepper muntok and cual cloth from Bangka Belitung.
Herman, a Belitung tourist, said he was interested in visiting because he wanted to see firsthand the tin mining equipment from time to time.
“I am very impressed because at MTI it is quite complete about the history of tin. Babylon This is the island of tin, so we really have to know its historical background to add insight. Here we can see firsthand the various equipment, if we usually only hear stories or see photos," he said.
Similarly, another visitor, Qori from Medan, said that he was happy to see the history of tin from time to time and see the mining equipment firsthand.
"This is extraordinary, interesting and we can see firsthand the whole process," he said.
Go Around Town with Pownis
In addition to seeing the collection and history of tin mining at MTI Muntok, visitors can also tour the city of Pangkalpinang by using Oto Pownis to visit a number of historical places in Pangkalpinang City.
A number of places that can be seen when traveling with Pownis such as Panti Wangka, Bakti Timah Hospital, GPIB Maranatha, Dutch Cemetery, Wisma Timah Satoe, Jamik Mosque, Resident House, Tamansari and Water Tower.
A car or Oto Pownis is a means of transportation that used to connect Pangkalpinang and Sungailiat. The purpose of the Pownis at that time was to facilitate the mobility of the Dutch Government at that time.
Oto Pownis as a means of transportation to serve passengers and goods is made in the form of a bus by builders on Bangka Island using Mitsubishi, Daihatsu and GMC engines that run on diesel and gasoline.
In general, Oto Pownis are made of wood, both for the body, seats, and windows.
