Surakarta is a town in the Central Java province of Indonesia. This town is often called Solo. The town borders Karanganyar Regency and Boyolali Regency to the northwest. Towards the west and east, Surakarta borders the Sukoharjo Regency. Meanwhile, in the south of this town is Sukoharjo Regency. Among the most well-known features of this town is the lake of Bengawan Solo that escapes on the eastern side of Surakarta. The city is called the birthplace of the present Indonesian President, Mr. Joko Widodo. Mr. Widodo also functioned as mayor of Surakarta from 2005 until 2012, when he was chosen as Jakarta’s governor.
Surakarta City is situated about 100 km south west east of Semarang, the provincial capital of Central Java and approximately 60 kilometers east of Yogyakarta. Surakarta is frequently regarded as a twin town of Yogyakarta since the two cities seem very much alike. However, since Surakarta isn’t receiving provincial funding, the town retained a lot of its Javanese personality.
Surakarta itself is a former imperial town called Surakarta Hadiningrat. There are just two royal enclaves in Surakarta, the Kasunanan Kingdom, and the Mangkunegaran Principality. The Kasunanan Kingdom has been the genuine heir of all the Mataram Sultanate, which dominated the island of Java out of the 16th century before the late 17th century. The Sultanate transferred its courtroom to Surakarta in 1745. Still, because of internal intrigues, rebellion and manipulative coverage in the Dutch East Indies Company or VOC, the Sultanate was split into two in 1755. The first is that Prince Mangkubumi directs the Kasunanan Kingdom located in Surakarta, headed by Pakubuwono II and another, that afterward become Sultan Hamengkubuwono I that’s established in Yogyakarta and eventually become Yogyakarta Sultanate
Afterward, in 1757, a different priest called Raden Mas Said shaped Mangkunegaran Principality because of his disappointment with the King. Raden Mas Said has been a patriot that staunchly denied collaboration with VOC, although the King favors cooperation with VOC.
Following Indonesia’s independence in 1945, the two royal houses of Surakarta dropped their autonomy due to political factors. These days, Surakarta is among Central Java’s economic facilities having a population of approximately 800,000 individuals.
Surakarta is well renowned for the soft spoken and magical men and women. It’s recognized among the very westernized cities in Central Java. Surakarta City itself is a magical city with lots of things to see and do in the town region in addition to its environment. Below are a few of the cultural attractions in Surakarta.
- Kasunanan Palace Surakarta
This palace was constructed by Pakubuwono II whenever the court was transferred to Surakarta. The palace is also referred to as Keraton Kasunanan. It’s a big and gorgeous palace. The palace was built in 1744 following the riot called Geger Pecinan, which destroyed a lot of the imperial town of Kartasura. The architectural design of this palace is a mix between the classic Javanese style as well as the classical European fashions.
The palace itself is enormous and is broken up into several substances, specifically Alun Alun Lor, Sasana Sumewa, Siti Hinggil, Kamandungan Lor, Sri Manganti, Kedaton, and Magangan. The palace complex is surrounded by a defensive wall termed baluwarti with an elevation of three to four meters and a depth of 1 meter.
To today, the palace remains the official home of the Sultan and his family members. The royal household lived in Kedaton chemical, which can be off limits to the public. The palace will be the landmark of Surakarta and can be equipped with a variety of facilities such as a museum in addition to an art and cultural centre.
- Mangkunegaran Palace Surakarta
This palace is also referred to as Pura Mangkunegaran. The palace was built in 1757. After finishing his battle against VOC throughout the Salatiga Treaty, Raden Mas Said created his seat of power west of Pepe River and eventually turned into Mangkunegara I.
The palace is constructed in an identical arrangement to the Keraton. The palace is also the official home of Mangkunegaran princes to those days. The Mangkunegaran palace has among the most significant audience halls, which covers an area of 3,500 square meters along with a capacity of around 8,000 individuals. In reality, this awe inspiring hallway is thought of as the most significant audience hall in Indonesia.
- Danar Hadi Batik Museum
The Batik Museum is situated on Surakarta’s Most Important road, Jalan Slamet Riyadi. The memorial houses 10,000 parts of batik, which are a part of Santosa Doellah’s personal collection. Santosa Doellah is a batik magnate along with the proprietor of Batik Danar Hadi. Here is the biggest batik museum in Indonesia.
The batik collection exhibited here comes in different cultural influences and intervals, from real Javanese, Chinese, Chinese, Indian, and colonial. You are able to discover fascinating bits of Batik, which portray scenes in the fairy tales of”Snow White” and”Little Red Riding Hood.”
Next door to the memorial is a batik store and a restaurant that provides traditional Javanese and Hawaiian Dutch menus. In the back, people can observe the manufacturing procedure of classic batik from beginning to finish. The memorial building was a mansion of the Javanese royal family in the 19th century. The construction combined conventional Javanese architecture in addition to classical European fashions. Entrance to the museum will probably provide you with IDR 25,000. The entrance fee includes a guided tour of this group. The tour is conducted in English.
Ready to start your getaway to Solo? Visit Wonderful Indonesia, and don’t miss out on the magic!