The existence of the National Museum began with the establishment of an association called Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten en Wetenschappen which was founded by the Dutch Government on April 24, 1778. At that time, in the midst of the European intellectual revolution (Age of Enlightenment), which was a time when humans began to develop scientific thought and knowledge. In 1752 in Haarlem, the Netherlands, De Hollandsche Maatschappij der Wetenschappen (Dutch Scientific Society) was established. This encouraged the Dutch in Batavia (Indonesia) to establish a similar organization. Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten en Wetenschappen (BG) is an independent institution founded with the aim of advancing research in the fields of art and science, especially in the fields of biology, physics, archeology, literature, ethnology, and history, as well as publishing research results. This institution has the slogan "Ten Nutte van het Algemeen" (For the Public Interest).