Parijs von Java

Elysian Fields
Originally uploaded by javajive.

With over two milion people ( almost four milion when border cities are included ), Bandung is the third city in Indonesia. It's also the governmental and commercial capital city of West-Jawa. Bandung was mainly designed around the 1920's by Dutch townplanners; it was to be the first 'modern' city of the Dutch Indies. Today Bandung is probably still the most 'European' city of Indonesia.
Bandung is located 187 southeast of Jakarta, just in the middle of the beautifull Priangan highlands. It has an remarkably mild climate with an average of about 22,5 degrees Celcius. Most inhabitante see the city as the most habitable city of Jawa, however on average it rains 144 days a year ( mainly between November and April ).
The city is located on a plateau at an altitude of 768 metres, and is surrounded at all sides by threathening vulcanoes and imposant mountains. Fast flowing rivers have made steep valleys and come together in the River Citarum, which mouths in the Jawa Sea at Karawang, East of Jakarta.
The are around Bandung is used for growing ricem, the hillsides are covered with tea-, rubber-, coffee-, and kina-plantations. The mild climate is profitable for vegetable-, and fruit-cultures. Bandung has food-processing plants and is also an industrial centre which rules the textile production in entire Indonesia. It's also the seat of the upcoming high-tech industries of the country, for example computer assembly and planefactories.
The city also houses a number of universities and academies, under which the prestigious Institut Teknologi Bandung ( ITB ), the oldest technical institute in Indonesia. It also has a centre which monitors the vulcanoes on Jawa, and a centre for nuclear research. Bandung was founded only in the 19th century with the foundation of a small Dutch outpost. In that time the area was still densely forested and little populated. Stretches of swamps reminded of the enormous lake - the legendaric 'Situ Hiang'or 'Lake of the Gods' - which streched over the entire basin. To reach the inaccessible area a heavy journey with boats, rafts and other equipment over the River Citarum and River Cimanuk was inevitable. In 1786 a bridle path was caved out in the plateas, and in 1789 the first coffee plantation appeared on the southern flanks of the vulcano 'Tangkuban Perahu' ( Upside down boat ), which dominated the northern edge of the basin.

The 'Paris of Jawa'

Between 1808 and 1810 the reformational governor-general Daendels ordered the construction of a postal road, which connected Batavia with Central-, and Eastern Jawa through the Priangan highlands. After that he ordered the Sundanese leaders of Tatar Ukur - the name of the area around Bandung at that time - to move to the area where the postal road crossed the River Cikapundung, nowadays calles Jalan Asia - Afrika.
The area still was not densely populated, but during the rule of Raffles ( 1811-1815 ) some state-owned areas were sold to private companies. They turned the forested slopes into coffee-, tea-, and kina plantations. Between 1831 and 1870 - the time of the strict cultural system - the Dutch booked some 823 milion Guilders to their homeland, of wich 75% came directly from the sale of coffee from this area.
With the end of the cultural system in 1870, the Priangan was opened more and more for private investors, and the number of plantations rose to more than 150. Around 1902 there were no less than 82 tea plantations in use, and in 1930 about sixty kina plantations produced 90 per cent of the world production. However the surrounding slopes were cultivated by rich Preangerplanters, the city still leaped behind.
This all changed with the construction of a railroad between Batavia and Bandung in 1884. Ten years later the railroad was extended towards Yogyakarta, Solo and Surabaya. Because of that, Bandung became an important stop at the trans-Jawa railroad, but it still stayed small. In 1896 the city counted 29.386 residents ( of which 1250 Europeans ), though Bandung became the capital of Priangan Recency in 1964.

After 1918 construction of the new city started north of the oud trading quarter, close to the nowadays Gedung Sate and Dago. The annual markets in June and July attracted many foreign visitors and attention. Because of a precise planning and a booming local economy, which brought in huge profits, Bandung developped into the most modern and European city of the Dutch Indies. Because of it's elegant boulevards and fashion shops and houses the city became the 'Paris of Jawa'.
Jalan Braga was the centre of Bandung in those days, the 'most famous shopping street of the Dutch Indies'. People bought their fitted clothing, a splendid night-gown, an Swiss watch, an imported cigar and the newest Packard coupe over here. When the shops closed down for the night, the alleys from Jalan Braga in the quarter Margawati wake up, planters who have worked hard all day long made the nightlife in cafe's and brothels in the area.
The twenties became the 'Golden Century'of Bandung, also because of the colonial decision to move the governmental centre to the edge of the city. Big firms settled their headquarters and factories in the new buildings in the city, so even more money came in, in the already rich area. Bandung also became a famous tourist destinatoon; in 1941 it attracted about 200,000 visitors.
The after-war Banfung was overshadowed by Jakarta. Only the Asian-African conferention in 1955, visited by Nehru, Nasser, u Nu, Chou En-lai en Ho Chi Minh and Sukarno as host brought short international fame to the city.
As well asl Jakarta, Bandung had to deal with a tremendous ammount of farmers flocking to the city over the years. The number of residents increased from 226,887 in 1941 ro over one milion in 1960, and to more than double that ammount in 1990. This caused the infrastructure and public services to overload, with all problems like traffic, pollution and crime.
Bandung no longer is the elegant 'Paris of Jawa' of the pre-war period, but real lovers of past times can still find things from the past. The Savoy Homann Hotel and BPD Jawa Barat building ( at the corner of Jalan Braga and Jalan naripan ) are typical creations from the art deco style. The green Jalan Dago and Jalan pasteur give an good image of how it should have looked like in the colonial time. And the impressive Gedung Sate ( lit. Sate building ), because of it's look-a-like shape ) is an example of the Indo-European architecture and one of the most remarkable buildings in Indonesia. Nowadays it's the seat of the provincial government of West-Jawa.
Bandung is also an cultural and intellectual centre. It's role as centre of the Sundanese culture was founded at the end of the 19th century. Before that, the Sundanese people and it's political power was concentrated in Sumedang, Ciamis, Bogor and Cianjur. After the recency leaders movedg from Cianjur to Banfung in 1864, the traditional art flourished too. Nowadays Bandung is just as famous among artists, writers and academic people to live in as Jakarta. The most refreshing and re artistical and political movements are inspired by the progressive student population in bandung. The Siliwangi Division is seen at the most disciplined and skilled division of the Indonesian army ever since.
Sundanese women are the most beautifull of the country, following Indonesian rules. Because of the climate, their skin is lighter than the skin of other Indonesian people, and because of the many vegetables in their food it is said thay they have a very soft skin as well. The ladies from Bandung are fashion minded and aimed at the future. The nichname of the city - 'Kota Kembang - ( Flower City ) - more is a nickname for the female attractions than the bushes in the city.

Bandung through nostalgic glasses

Tourist come to Bandung mainly for escaping from the heat in Jakarta, and to view the colonial remains in the city. A good start is a walk through the area around Jalan Asia-Afrika and Jalan Braga. In the past times this was the shopping and tourist area. 'Gedung Merdeka' ( Freedom Building ) was used for the Asian African convention of 1955. Before it was the Concordia Society, an elegant high-societyu club, built in 1879. The building now houses a museum with documents and pictures of the Bandung conference.
At the Eastern side of Jalan Asia-Afrika, two hotels from the thirties are located directly across the street. the art-deco Savoy Homann and Preanger. At the other side, past the bridge over the River Cikapundung, the city square or alun-alun is located, this is the spot of the original place of the 19th century village. Northwest of the city square is the market district of Pasar Baru ( New Market ), which is ruled by Chinese traders.
Turn north into Jalan Braga from Jalan Asia-Afrika. The old Dutch stores look somewhat poor. On the left is then Majestic Cinema, built in Indo-European style of the early twenties. The building besides offered space for 'Au Bon Maché', formet haute-couture. Across the street a cafe and Braga Permai (a department store ) are located. This department store was the former location of the Maison Bogerijen restaurant, the place where teachers had their lunch at exactly one o'clock in the afternoon, and where rich plantation owners stuffed themselves with French haute cuisine every Sunday evening.
Two kilometres Northeast of Jalan Braga,close to the Gedung Sate, is the European 'new city'. In the Geological Museum at Jalan Diponegoro replica's of fossiles from the Jawa-man are shown. The cartographic department at the back sells detailed maps of Indonesia.
Turn towards the Technological Institute ( ITB ) from Gedung Sate. The nice and green streets are finished with beautifull colonial houses. The remarkable buildings of the university were designed by Maclaine Pont, one of the first and most influential advocates of the 'Indo-European' style, who wanted to use Indonesian forms as well as modern western techniques. The 'upside down' roofs are designed after traditional Batak-, and Minanghouses, while the library is one big honey comb from wood.
Directly behind the campus of the Pajajaran Univesity is the Dago Teahouse, with a view over the city and the nearby falls. Walk from the ITB to the zoo to the 'Babakan Siliwangi' restaurant, a traditional Sundanese 'pondok', consisting from five pavillions on pawls above fish ponds. Both are on walking distance from the Univestiry, though the tea house is still a fairly heavy ascendance.