guide's job

City Tour

Ladies and gentlemen..

We’re now leaving the hotel. This road we are on is called Slamet Riyadi. Slamet Riyadi is the name of an Indonesian hero. He is the part of the student soldiers.

The major road that divides the city as it becomes very important when the name of the Dutch Queen Wilhelmina never pinned him. Wilhelmina straat, that's the beginning of the name of this street. Wilhelmina straat in Dutch means rocky road (probably already cast-cast's) Queen Wilhelmina. Not only that, its presence increasingly famous after Wilhelmina straat, changed to the name Poerwosarie Weg. Poerwosarie Weg in Dutch means Jalan Besar Poerwosarie that connects two locations. East-West, West-East. Naturally, because Poerwosarie Station community activities as well as supporting an important means of transportation at that time also in the west end of this street.

The history of the name slamet Riyadi Street is Wilhelmina straat, when the ducth government, and change into Poerwosarie Weg, because there are Purwosari railway on the end of this street, and the last to be slamet riyadi street to appreciate the services of a hero of Slamet Riyadi to fight and restore the Dutch colonial town victory Surakarta, therefore Pakubuwono him a hero and used his name as the name of the biggest street in the city of Surakarta. And in the end of this street we will find the statue of the Slamet Riyadi.

To know about this city, here i would like to tell you about its history.

The name of “Solo” came from the native village of ‘Desa Sala”. It was located at the place where the sunan Palace is now situated.

The other name of Solo is “Surakarta”.

In years 1744, a local rebellion happened in Kartasura, a small city about 10 kilometers in the west of Solo. King Pakubuwono II then gave an order to Tumenggung Wiroguno and Pangeran Wijil. The two emmisaries when to find the suitable place for the new palace. On their meditation to got the Almighty, they heard a voice of inspirtion which said “Hey, you who do penance! “if you want to find a site for the capital of the Kingdom, go to the village of Sala. Because the place is decreed by God the Almighty that Sala will become a great and prosperous city”.

Rejoiced at being sent this blessing, they proceeded to the village of Sala to meet the chief of the village, called “ Kyai Sala” and so they believe that the voice they heard was a divine revelation. On the returning to the palace, the king shared their comviction of the story,

The story goes.. there were a lot of troubles. The village of Sala was located near a lake which ought to be drined to construct the new palace. The king then ordered the regents to bring logs and timbers to fill up the lake. All their effort wasn’t succesfull. The water source was even spouting from the ground and was unable to be stopped. It seemed that a strange power had ancreased and sea fishes were even seen there.

Then King and his subjects fee! In to a state of despair. But God still sent them his blessings. Another revelation came in a voice which said : “ot stop the flow of the water, you have to cover it with “ going sekar Delima”, they head of a lady dancer as well as with rhubarb leaves”.

Then the revelation was interpreted as follows :”Goong” symbolized ”uni” or the voice of the story teller which meant Kyai Sala. A lady dancer was actually the symboli of “ Ringgit” or the dutch coin at that time, which was worth 2,5 guilders. The head meant amount of the money (10,000 ringgit)

So, this amount of money had to be presented to the story teller. Kyai Sala and then he was ordered to stop the water flow.

By using “Sekar Delima”, the flower of pomegrenates and rhubarb leaves, he was succesfull in stoping the water  flow. Later on, the lake was drained and was filled up with the soil of a place called “Talawangi”. Then, the new palace was contrusted. There was a lot of offerings made for Kartasura to Surakarta. This event took place on the 17th of Sura (the first month of the Javanesse calender system) or in the year of 1670 AD. This was recordered in a chronogramme “ Siraning Resi Rasa Tunggal”. The new palace was named “Surakarta Hadiningrat” which is now also the name of the city.

Kraton (palace) Surakarta is one exotic buildings in his day. One of the architects of this palace is Mangkubumi (later the title of Sultan Hamengkubuwono I) which is also the main architect of the Sultan Palace. It is therefore not surprising that the basic spatial pattern of the second palace (Yogyakarta and Surakarta) have many common similarities. Keraton Surakarta as can be seen today are not built simultaneously in 1744-45, but was built in stages to maintain the basic pattern remains the same layout with initially. Development and large-scale restoration carried out by His Majesty Pakubuwono last X (Sunan PB X) who reigned from 1893 to 1939. Most of this palace shades of white and blue with a mixture of Javanese-style arsitekrur Europe.
In general, the division of the palace include: Complex Square Lor / North, Sumewa Sasana Complex, Complex Sitihinggil Lor / North, Kamandungan Complex Lor / North, Sri Manganti Complex, Complex Kedhaton, Kamagangan Complex, Complex Srimanganti the South / South (?) And Kemandungan the South / South, and the South Sitihinggil Complex and the South Square. The palace complex is also surrounded by baluwarti, a defense wall with a height of about three to five meters and a thickness of about one meter without a bridge. This wall encloses an area with a rectangular shape. The area width is approximately five hundred meters long and about seven hundred meters. Palace complex inside walls are of Kemandungan Lor / North to the South Kemandungan / South. Both complexes Sitihinggil and square is not surrounded by defensive walls.

Originally Surakarta palace is a palace Institute (Imperial House) in charge of the king and the royal family in addition to being the center of government Kesunanan Surakarta. After Kesunanan Surakarta deleted by the Indonesian government declared in 1946, the role of Surakarta palace is no more a particular Java Indigenous Stakeholders line / Surakarta style. Similarly, His Majesty no longer play a role in the affairs of state as a political sense but dala king as his lordship Indigenous Stakeholders Throne, the informal leader of the culture.

The function of the palace was turned into a protector and guardian of cultural identity, especially Java, Surakarta style. Although the functionality is limited to the informal sector but Surakarta palace still has its own charisma in the Java community, especially in the former Kesunanan Surakarta. In addition Surakarta palace also give honorary knighthood (honoriscausa) in those who have a particular attention to the Javanese culture Surakarta in addition to those who are entitled by birth or because of their position as an employee (court employees) palace.

Ladies and gentlement..

That is the brief history of Solo which i hope could help you to understand more about the city. We have arrived at the palace now, and we will be here for two hours.

Thank You!!