Everything about Bandung totally explained
Bandung is the capital of
West Java province in
Indonesia, and the country's fourth largest city. Located 768 m (2,520 ft)
above sea level, Bandung has relatively year-around cooler temperature than most other
Indonesian cities. The city lies on a
river basin and surrounded by
volcanic mountains. This topology provides the city with a good natural defense system, which was the primary reason of
Dutch East Indies government's plan to move the colony capital from Batavia to Bandung.
The Dutch colonials first opened tea plantantions around the mountains in the eighteenth century, followed by a road construction connecting the plantation area to the capital (180 km or 112 miles to the northwest). The European inhabitants of the city demanded the establishment of a municipality (
gemeente), which was granted in 1906 and Bandung gradually developed itself into a resort city for the plantation owners. Luxurious hotels, restaurants, cafes and European boutiques were opened of which the city was dubbed as
Parijs van Java.
After
Indonesian independence, the city experienced a rapid development and urbanization that has transformed Bandung from idyllic town into a dense 15,000 people/km² metropolitan area, a living space for over 2 million people. Natural resources have been exploited excessively, particularly in the conversions of protected upland area into highland villa and real estates. Although the city has encountered many problems, ranging from waste disposal, floods to chaotic traffic system, Bandung however still has its charm to attract people flocking into the city, either as weekend travellers or living in.
Geography
Bandung, the capital of
West Java province, located about 180 km (112 miles) southeast of
Jakarta, is the third largest city in Indonesia with over 2.6 million population in 2006 and over 6.7 million people on the greater Bandung regency & metropolitan area. It's rated the fastest growing city / urban region in Indonesia . Its elevation is 768 metres (2,520 ft)
above sea level and is surrounded by up to 2,400 m (7,874 ft) high
Late Tertiary and
Quarternary volcanic terrain. The 400 km² flat of central Bandung plain is situated in the middle of 2,340.88 km² wide of the Bandung
Basin; the basin comprises Bandung, the
Cimahi satellite city, part of
Bandung Regency, and part of
Sumedang Regency. The basin's main river is the
Citarum; one of its branches, the
Cikapundung, divides Bandung from north to south before it merges with Citarum again in
Karawang. The Bandung Basin is an important source of water for drinking water, irrigation and fisheries, and its 6,147 million m³ of groundwater is a major reservoir for the city. Two large scale eruptions took place; the first formed the basin and the other (est. 55,000
Before Present) blocked the Citarum river, turning the basin into a lake known as "the Great Lake of Bandung". The lake drained away; the reason for which is the subject of ongoing debate among geologists.
Due to its elevation, the climate in Bandung is cooler than most
Indonesian cities and can be classified as
humid; the average temperature is 23.6 °C (74.5 °F) throughout the year. The average annual rainfall ranges from 1,000 millimetres in the central and southeast regions to 3,500 millimetres in the north of the city. The
wet season conforms with other Indonesian regions, around November to April.
History
The earliest reference to the city dates back to 1488, but archaeological findings suggest a type of
Homo erectus species had lived on the banks of the Cikapundung River and around the old lake of Bandung. During the
seventeenth and
eighteenth centuries, the
Dutch East Indies Company (VOC) opened plantations in the Bandung area. A supply road connecting Batavia (now
Jakarta),
Bogor,
Cianjur, Bandung,
Sumedang and
Cirebon was built in 1786. In 1809,
Louis Napoleon, the ruler of the
Kingdom of the Netherlands and its colonies, ordered the Dutch Indies Governor
H.W. Daendels to increase the defensive systems of
Java against the
British from
India. Daendels built a road, stretching approximately 1,000 km (621 miles) from the west to the east coast of Java, and passing through Bandung. In 1810, the road was laid down in Bandung and was named
De Groote Postweg (or the 'main post road'), the present-day site of Asia-Afrika Street. Under Daendels' orders,
R.A. Wiranatakusumah II, the chief administration of the Bandung regency at that time, moved its office from Krapyak, in the south, to a place near a pair of holy city wells (
sumur Bandung), the present-day site of the city square (
alun-alun). He built his
dalem (palace),
masjid agung (the grand mosque) and
pendopo (public-official meeting place) in the classical orientation. The pendopo faces
Tangkuban Perahu mountain, which was believed to have a mystical ambience.
In 1880, the first major railroad between Batavia and Bandung was built, boosting light industry in Bandung.
Chinese who had previously never lived in the city flocked to help run facilities, services and selling vendor machines. The old Chinatown district in Bandung is still recognisable in the railroad station vicinity. In 1906, Bandung was given the status of
gemeente (municipality) and then later as
stadsgemeente (city municipality) in 1926.
In the beginning of the 1920s, the Dutch East Indies government made plans to move the capital of Dutch East Indies from Batavia to Bandung. Accordingly, during this decade, the Dutch colonial government started building military barracks, the central government building (
Gouvernments Bedrijven, the present-day
Gedung Sate) and other government buildings. This plan, however, was cut short by
World War II after which the Dutch were not able to re-established their colony.
The fertile area of the Parahyangan Mountains surrounding Bandung supports productive
tea plantations. In the
nineteenth century,
Franz Junghuhn introduced the
cinchona (
kina) plant. With its cooler elevated landscape, surrounded by major plantations, Bandung became an exclusive European resort area. Rich plantation owners visited the city on weekends, attracting girls and businessmen from the capital, Batavia.
Braga Street grew into a promenade street with cafes, restaurants and boutique shops. Two art-deco style hotels, Savoy Homann and Preanger, were built in the vicinity of the Concordia Society, a club house for the wealthy with a large ballroom and a theatre. The nickname "
Parijs van Java" was given to the city.
After the
Indonesian Independence in 1945, Bandung was determined as the capital of
West Java province. During the
1945–1949 independence struggle against the Dutch when they wanted to reclaim their colonies, Bandung was one of the heaviest battle places. The Dutch military commander set an ultimatum for the Indonesian combatants in Bandung to leave the city. In response, on
24 March 1946, much of the southern part of Bandung was deliberately set alight as the combatants left; an event known as the
Bandung Lautan Api or 'Bandung Sea of Flame'.
In 1955, the first
Asian-African Conference was held in Bandung, attended by head of states representing twenty-nine countries and colonies from
Asia and
Africa. The conference venue was at the Gedung Merdeka, the former Concordia Society building. The conference announced 10 points of declaration on world peace promotion and oppositions against colonialism, known as the Declaration of Bandung, which followed by wave of nationalism movements around the globe and remapped the world politics. The conference was also the first international conference of colored people in the history of mankind.
Richard Wright in his book,
The Color Curtain, captured the epic meanings of the conference for people of color around the world.
In 1987, the city boundary was expanded with the Greater Bandung (
Bandung Raya) plan; a relocation of higher concentration development outside the city in an attempt to dilute some of population in the old city. During its development, however, the city core is often uprooted, old faces are torn down, lot sizes regrouped, and what was idyllic residence is bustling chain supermarkets and rich banks.
Administration
| List of Mayors |
| Dutch-Indies |
| E.A. Maurenbrecher (exofficio) |
1906-1907 |
| R.E. Krijboom (exofficio) |
1907-1908 |
| J.A. van Der Ent (exofficio) |
1909-1910 |
| J.J. Verwijk (exofficio) |
1910-1912 |
| C.C.B. van Vlenier (exofficio) |
1912-1913 |
| B. van Bijveld (exofficio) |
1913-1920 |
| B. Coops |
1920-1921 |
| S.A. Reitsma |
1921-1928 |
| B. Coops |
1928-1934 |
| Ir. J.E.A. van Volsorgen Kuhr |
1934-1936 |
| Mr. J.M. Wesselink |
1936-1942 |
| N. Beets |
1942-1942 |
| Japanese Occupation |
| Raden A. Atma dit Nata |
1942-1945 |
| Indonesia |
| Ir. Ukar Bratakusumah |
1946-1949 |
| R. Enoch |
1949-1956 |
| R. Priatna Kusumah |
1956-1966 |
| R. Didi Jukardi |
1966-1968 |
| Hidayat Sukarmadijaya |
1968-1971 |
| R. Otje Djundjunan |
1971-1976 |
| Ucu Junaedi |
1976-1978 |
| R. Husein Wangsaatmaja |
1978-1983 |
| Ateng Wahyudi |
1983-1993 |
| Wahyu Hamidjaja |
1993-1998 |
| Aa Tarmana |
1998-2003 |
| Dada Rosada |
2003-... |
| Source: official website |
The city area in 1906 was only 19.22 square kilometres and it has been expanded several times until the 1987 expansion into 167.2965 km².
Architecture
»
Bandung is renowned for its large stock of Dutch colonial architecture; most notably the tropical
Art Deco architectural style.
Henri Maclaine-Pont is among the first Dutch architects who realized how important to combine each architectural style with culture of local people. He stressed that modern architecture should be evolved from local history and native elements. In 1920, Pont planned and designed buildings for the first technical university in the
Dutch East Indies,
Technische Hogeschool te Bandung (the present-day
Institut Teknologi Bandung), after which he was named as a professor in architecture at the university. A striking local Javanese roof style is noticeably seen on top of the campus' ceremonial hall, embedded in his artwork.
In the
1990s, local designers opened denim clothing stores along
Cihampelas Street which gave Bandung another nickname, the "Tourist Shopping City" (Kota Wisata Belanja). It was a success as the-then residential street had been fully transformed into a "jeans street". The city attracts people from other big cities to buy local fashion wears, as they're cheaper than branded items.
The city gained more shoppers to come when
textile factories in the outskirt of Bandung opened a fashion store that sells their products directly from the factory. The products are tagged as
sisa export (rejected or over-produced export quality items) and these shops are called
factory outlets. The trend was followed by another factory outlets.
Sports
Bandung is the home town of the
soccer team
Persib Bandung. Another soccer team Persikab is based in neighbouring city of
Cimahi, part of Bandung Regency. The most popular football stadium is
Siliwangi Stadium.
Other popular sports in Bandung include
badminton (see
Taufik Hidayat, gold medal winner at the
2004 Summer Olympics) and
basketball. The roads leading up to Lembang and Dago are popular routes for mountain
cycling during the weekend. In the hillside around Bandung, there are a couple of
golf courses.
Transport
Bandung can be accessed through 3 highways from Jakarta. An intercity toll highway, named as Cipularang
toll road, connecting
Jakarta,
Karawang,
Purwakarta, Padalarang and Bandung, has recently been completed in May 2005. It is currently the fastest way to go to Bandung from the capital. Driving time is about 1.5 hours on average. There are 2 other options: the Puncak route (Jakarta-
Cianjur/
Sukabumi-Bandung) or the Subang route (Jakarta-
Cikampek-
Subang-
Lembang-Bandung). From eastern part of the cities (
Cirebon,
Tasikmalaya and
Central Java province), Bandung can be accessed through the main provincial road.
The Pasupati bridge recently opened to the public, relieving traffic jams in the city for east-west transport. The 2.8 km
cable-stayed bridge lies through the valley of Cikapundung. It is 30 to 60 metres wide and after extensive delays, its construction finally completed in June 2005, following financial investment from
Kuwait. The bridge is part of Bandung's comprehensive inner-city highways plan.
Taxis are widely available. The primary means of public transportation is by minibus, called
angkot (from
angkutan=transportation and
kota=city). They serve certain routes throughout the city and are operated privately. To find exact angkot routes, information are available through the drivers or at terminals. City-owned
buses, called
DAMRI, operates on larger relatively long routes. Bandung has 2 intercity bus terminals: Leuwipanjang, serving buses from the west, and Cicaheum, serving buses from the east.
Bandung
Husein Sastranegara International Airport serves direct flights to
Batam,
Surabaya,
Yogyakarta,
Denpasar,
Palembang and
Padang and also international services from
Kuala Lumpur. The airport is located nearby the Dirgantara aerospace complex and Dirgantara Fairground.
Railway connects Bandung to
Jakarta,
Purwakarta,
Bekasi,
Karawang and
Cikampek to the west, and
Surabaya,
Yogyakarta and
Solo to the east. It is also the major means of transportation for people living in suburb areas of
Cimahi,
Padalarang,
Rancaekek,
Cicalengka and
Cileunyi.
Science and education
There are hundreds of public and private schools in Bandung. Like in other Indonesian cities, Bandung has several state-funded and administered junior high and high schools, called State Junior High Schools (SMPN) and State High Schools (SMA), respectively. At least sixteen universities — three of which are state-owned universities — and 45
professional schools are scattered throughout the city. Education from social sciences, technology until tourism education can be found in one of those universities. The
Institut Teknologi Bandung is the oldest technical university in Indonesia having been established since
1920, and the
Universitas Padjadjaran is the best university that West Java owned and also one of the most prestigious universities in Indonesia. And both institutions are located close to each other at the Dago Area.
In the north of Bandung,
Bosscha Observatory has been the only and the oldest
observatory in Indonesia. Construction of the observatory began in 1923 and was completed in 1928. In 1922, the first international publication from Bosscha Observatory was published and in 1959, the observatory was included as a part of the department of
astronomy in the Institut Teknologi Bandung.
Economy
Bandung economy is mainly built upon tourism, manufacturing, textile/apparel, education institutions, technology, retail, services, financial, pharmaceutical, food, among others. Those are the major investments and most popular fields/industries being sought here.
Bandung has nearly 50 higher educational institutions and is among the most popular destination for education in Indonesia. Creative-based culture has shaped the basis of Bandung economy. The once quiet residential district of Dago has become an important business and entertainment centre. Chic cafes and restaurants are spreading out along Dago Street. In the early 1990s Cihampelas Street became a popular clothing store location.
The
distro sell stylish non-trademarked products, made by local designers. Books, indie label records, magazines, fashion products and other accessories are typical distro products. After their products receive large teenagers attention, then these local designers make their own clothing company. Now, there are more than 200 local brand names in Bandung. Distro distance itself from factory outlet in term of its philosophy. Distros come from individual designers and young entrepreneurs, while factory outlet products come from a garment factory.
Environmental issues
The north of the city serves as a
water reservoir for Bandung's 2 million people, however, the area has seen much residential development. Several attempts to reserve this area have been made, including the creation of reserves, such as the Juanda National Park and Puncrut, but the development continues. The real danger has come in the form of several floodings in Bandung's south.
In the middle of 2006, Bandung faced another environmental disaster, as the city's land fill site was reevaluated after a
landslide in 2005. Collection of 8,000 m3/day domestic garbage piled up, causing
air pollution, spreading of diseases, and water contamination. The provincial government eventually stepped in to solve the garbage issues.
Sister Cities
Bandung has
sister relationships with a number of towns worldwide:
Awards
The Dirtiest of Indonesia's metropolitan areas.
1997: Adipura Award — for the achievement of the most beautiful city in Indonesia.
The Adipura consists of a trophy and an award.Further Information
Get more info on 'Bandung'.
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