All 7 war cemeteries are open 7 days a week from 0700-1700 and free of charge (but note that an entrance fee applies to enter Park Ancol). At the Netherlands War Cemetery "Ereveld Ancol" men, women and children are buried and honored. They died during the Second World War and the period of Indonesia's fight for independence, between 1940 and 1962. Ereveld Ancol is a special war cemetery, as some o
f the war victims buried there were executed there, close to the petrified remains of a Mindi tree ("pohon surga"). Note that around 80% of those buried are civilians, only 20% are military. This is different from the Commonwealth War Cemeteries in Indonesia, where only military are buried. Sometimes, the Netherlands War Cemeteries are compared with Indonesia's special cemeteries, such as Kalibata in Jakarta and Cikutra in Bandung. At those cemeteries, heroes of the Republic of Indonesia are buried. However, Indonesia's Heroes Cemeteries and the Netherlands War Cemeteries are a bit different:
1. The victims at the Netherlands War Cemeteries are not celebrated as heroes, but honored as victims of war, as they died as civilians or in the line of duty as ordered by the Dutch government.
2. At the Netherlands War Cemeteries no burials take place of victims of war who died after the year 1962. An exception is made if a victim of the 1940 to 1962 period is still found today.
