History of Bandung

Last updated

Bandung is a city in the western part of Java island in Indonesia. Beside its own city administration, Bandung also serves as the capital of the West Java province.

Contents

Early settlement

The stones of 7th-century candi Bojongmenje ruins in Rancaekek, Bandung Regency. Candi Bojong Menje.jpg
The stones of 7th-century candi Bojongmenje ruins in Rancaekek, Bandung Regency.

Although the oldest written historical reference to the Priangan region dates back to circa 14th century, that was found in Cikapundung inscription, where the region was one of the settlement within the Kingdom of Pajajaran, [1] the Priangan region has been home for early human since prehistoric era, at least since 9,500 years before present. [2] There have been some earlier prehistoric archaeological findings of early human settlements, in Pawon cave in Padalarang karst area, West of Bandung, and around the old lake of Bandung. [3] [4]

Shiva Mahadeva of Cicalengka, Bandung Regency. Sunda Kingdom period 8th to 9th century. Shiva Mahadeva Cicalengka Bandung 8-9 Century.jpg
Shiva Mahadeva of Cicalengka, Bandung Regency. Sunda Kingdom period 8th to 9th century.

The ruin of Bojongmenje temple was discovered in Rancaekek area, Bandung Regency, east of Bandung city. The temple is estimated to be dated from early 7th century CE, around the same period — or even earlier, than Dieng temples of Central Java. [5]

Not far from Bojongmenje temples, the statue of Hindu god Shiva Mahadeva was discovered in Cibodas village, Cicalengka Subdistrict, Bandung Regency, West Java. The style of the Hindu statue estimated dated from circa 8th to 9th Century CE possibly from the Sunda Kingdom period. The artifact inventory number is 46, now is the collection of National Museum of Indonesia, Jakarta.

Dutch Colonial Period

Braga Street in the mid-1930s. COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM De Bragaweg Bandoeng TMnr 10014713.jpg
Braga Street in the mid-1930s.
The Dutch-built Gedung Sate COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Ministerie van Openbare Werken TMnr 10015227.jpg
The Dutch-built Gedung Sate

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Dutch East Indies company (VOC) established a small plantation area in the fertile and prosperous Bandung area. A supply road connecting Batavia (now Jakarta), Bogor, Cianjur, Bandung, Sumedang and Cirebon was built in 1786.

In 1809, Louis Bonaparte, then ruler of the Netherlands and its colonies due to Napoleon Bonaparte's establishment of this puppet state, ordered the Dutch Indies Governor H.W. Daendels to improve the defense system of Java island against the threat of the British. Daendels built a 1000 km road joining the west and east coasts of Java. Since the northern part of West Java at that time was mostly swamp and marsh, the road was diverted through Bandung. [6] [7] The Great Postweg (now Jalan Asia-Afrika) was laid down in 1810.

Local folklore has it that when Daendels was walking along the edge of Cikapundung river, he was amazed by a site he found. He then put a stick at the edge of the Cikapundung and said: "Zorg, dat als ik terug kom hier een stad is gebouwd!" [8] ('Make sure that when I return, a city has been built here!'). Today, this site is the geographical center of Bandung. R.A. Wiranatakusumah II, the regent of 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), which is today the alun-alun (city square). He built his istana (palace), masjid agung (the grand mosque) and pendopo ("pavilion") in the classical orientation. [9] The pendopo faces Tangkuban Perahu mountain, believed to have a mystical ambiance.

The fast growth of Bandung started from the area around the Jalan Asia-Afrika, the original central business district. Also concentrated in the area is the Javanese alun-alun (public square) just to the south of the road, the former residence of the Bupati, and the great mosque. In 1850, Bandung was appointed as the Residence for the part of West Java named Pariangan, which until then settled in Cianjur. There were 12,000 inhabitants around 1850. A great factor of the growth of Bandung was because of the relocation of some Departments from Batavia to Bandung. In 1880, the first major railroad in Indonesia, linking Batavia and Bandung, was laid down. [10] It boosted light industry in Bandung. Chinese migrants flocked in to help run the facilities, services and vendor machines. A small Chinatown district can still be recognised in the vicinity of the railroad station.

It started in 1914 with the Department of War, followed in 1921 by the Department of Roads and Transportation. In 1906, Bandung was given the status of gemeente (municipality) and then later as stadsgemeente (city municipality) in 1926. From 1906 to 1949, Bandung grew from a medium-sized town with 38.000 inhabitants to the third City in Nederlands-Indië with 590.000 inhabitants. In 1929, Bandung approved the 'Framework plan' city planning, which covered an area of 12.758 ha, divided in plans for mainly the Northern- and partly the Southern areas of the town. [11] This plan which followed the garden city concept was successfully applied in the Northern part of the town where most of the European population lived. The north part was designed with large public spaces, spacious and green residential areas in which public and private greens are integrated. The roads were fit out with, originally, a consequent planting of trees. But the valley of the river Cikapundung - which was ones fitted up as a park landscape (IJzermanpark) is nowadays occupied by spontaneous kampung-settlements. The North part was divided in an Army area, a Governmental area, areas for dwelling houses and villas, small-housing for the common people and kampung-areas for the labor people. The Chinese inhabitants lived in the Pasar Baru quarter, southwest of the railroad. The natives lived in the Southern part of the town, like many of the Indo-Europeans.

Coat of Arms of Bandung, adopted in 1928. Coat of Arms of Bandung (1928).svg
Coat of Arms of Bandung, adopted in 1928.

Bandung's location, in a low area between two mountainous regions, is strategically advantageous for military defense. In the 1930s, the Dutch East Indies government had planned to move the capital from Batavia to Bandung, and built military barracks, a building housing the colonial Department of State-Owned Enterprises (Department van Gouvernmentsbedrijven, nicknamed Gedung Sate), and several others. This plan did not come to fruition following the failure of the Dutch to reclaim Indonesia after World War II.

Growth of plantation areas

The fertile area of the Parahyangan mountains surrounding Bandung allowed for productive tea plantations. In the 19th century, cinchona plants, and therefore quinine, were introduced by Franz Junghuhn. [12] The old quinine factory (originally incorporated as N.V. Bandoengsche Kininefabriek) still exists in the city.

Bandung then developed itself into an exclusive European resort with hotels, cafes and shops. [3] Rich plantation owners came during the weekends and so did girls and businessmen from the capital, Batavia. The promenade Braga Street grew into an elite area of cafes, restaurants and boutique shops. Two art-deco style hotels, Savoy Homann and Preanger, became two major accommodations there. The Concordia Society (now known as Merdeka Building) was built as a club house of these rich people, complete with a large ballroom and a theater. [10] The title of "Parijs van Java" was given to this city.

Struggle for Independence

Gedung Merdeka during the Asian-African Conference in 1955 Gedung.Merdeka.jpg
Gedung Merdeka during the Asian-African Conference in 1955

Bandung was decided as the provincial capital of West Java, after the independence.

Since October 1945, there had been several extreme Islam groups in West Java with the main goal of establishing an Islamic state in Indonesia (Darul Islam). One of this movements was "Laskar Hitam" a militia group that kidnapped and killed Otto Iskandardinata, RI's Minister of State (1945). Other victims of similar groups: Poerdiredja, the regent of Priangan, Oekar Bratakoesoemah, the mayor of Bandung and Niti Soemantri, the leader of Indonesian national committee (KNI) in Priangan.

Prior to the Dutch Politionele acties ("police action"), there was an ultimatum for the Indonesian combatants in Bandung to leave, given by the British military command, that temporarily (before the Dutch came back) tried to restore order. As for the answer, on March 24, 1946, the southern part of Bandung was deliberately burned down as they were leaving. This event is known as Bandung Lautan Api or "Bandung as the sea of flame". [13] A heroic song "Halo-halo Bandung" was sung along by these hundreds of patriots.

During the evacuation process of March 1946, a member of Indonesian militia Mohammad Toha smuggled several sticks of dynamite into a large scale ammunition dump guarded by Japanese and Dutch troops, near the Dutch military HQ in Dayeuh Kolot.

After overpowering the guards, he put the dynamite in several warehouses full of ammunition. He then committed suicide by igniting the dynamite. The massive explosion killed him and several Dutch, Japanese troops in the area. The explosion created a small lake ("situ") in Dayeuh Kolot. The main street in the area is called "Mohammad Toha Street".

Independence

On January 23, 1950, a rebel group called the Just King Armed Forces (Indonesian : Angkatan Perang Ratu Adil, APRA), led by Captain Raymond Westerling (a former Dutch military officer) and King Sultan Hamid II from Kalimantan (Borneo) attacked Indonesian army's Siliwangi Division HQ in Bandung. Lt. Col. Lembong and 93 other Indonesian soldiers and officers were killed. On January 24, 1950, the rebels tried to attack Jakarta, but the rebellion was quashed in a fierce battle in Pacet, near Jakarta. Sultan Hamid II was arrested, but Capt. Westerling managed to escape to Singapore.

In 1955, the first Asian-African Conference (Indonesian : Konferensi Tingkat Tinggi Asia-Afrika) was held in Bandung. Twenty-nine countries attended the conference. The Asian-African leaders who attended the summit included Nehru (India), Nasser (Egypt), Tito (Yugoslavia), Nkrumah (Ghana), U Nu (Myanmar), and others. This conference is one of the preparation for the establishment of the Non-Aligned Movement in Belgrade in 1961.

After being elected in 1955, a new parliament body called the Constitutional Assembly (Indonesian : Konstituante), was established. It was tasked with creating new constitution to replace the Provisional Constitution of 1950. This new body held meetings in Bandung for several years without any result. The Constituent Assembly was dissolved by President Sukarno in a decree issued on July 5, 1959, which also reinstated the 1945 Constitution.

On May 10, 1963, a minor traffic accident (collision between 2 motorcycles) occurred in the campus of Bandung Institute of Technology. Two ITB students were involved in this accident: an ethnic Chinese student and an Indonesian student. The traffic accident turned into a racial brawl on the basketball field. The leaders of "Dewan Mahasiswa" (DM)/student council at ITB such as Muslimin Nasution (later becoming a government minister), Siswono Yudo Husodo (later becoming a government minister), and Sutjipto (later becoming a leader of PKS party) used this event as the start of a movement against the establishment of ethnic Chinese tribe by Baperki (an ethnic Chinese organization influenced by Indonesian Communist Party/PKI). This movement was also directed against NASAKOM (Nasionalis, Agama dan Komunis) ideology from President Sukarno. The movement disagree with the Communist part of NASAKOM and they assumed that all ethnic Chinese community supported Baperki/Indonesian Communist Party. The next day, there was a large scale public demonstration by this movement against Baperki and ethnic Chinese. Unfortunately there are other organizations/people who use this event to start a large scale racial riot in Bandung that spread to other cities: Jogjakarta, Surabaya, Malang and Medan. Muslimin Nasution and other leaders of Student Council were arrested by Police. Muslimin was sentenced to 3 years in prison for starting the riot.

On September 30, 1965, there was a failed coup attempt by revolutionary council (aka G30S). The Military Chief Of Staff, General Nasution escaped and went to Bandung for protection from the loyal Siliwangi division. According to General Nasution, near his mother residence in Bandung, members of Indonesian communist party (PKI) also dig new wells for burying their enemies.

On September 6, 1970 there was a football match between ITB students and cadets from Military academy. The game ended in a riot and brawl. Rene L. Conrad, an ITB student, was kidnapped and murdered by the Military cadets.[ citation needed ] Unfortunately the case remain unsolved today.

In 1976, Doctor Habibie (later becoming Indonesian President) established a state owned, aircraft manufacturing company called Industri Pesawat Terbang Nusantara (IPTN). Later this company was renamed into PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI).

In 1978, after a People Consultative Assembly session in Jakarta, there were demonstrations against the re-election of President Soeharto by ITB students. Police disbanded the "Dewan Mahasiswa" (Student council) movement in ITB and the leaders were arrested. The university was closed for 3 months and the new Minister of Education announced "Normalization of University Life" (NKK) to quell the student movement.

On March 11, 1981, an extreme Moslem group called "Jamaah Imron" attacked Cicendo police station in Bandung. The movement was quashed by Indonesian police, but several members escaped to Medan, North Sumatra and hijacked Garuda airplane to Bangkok 2 weeks later. The passengers and crews were rescued by Indonesian special force in the Don Muang airport, Bangkok, Thailand. The pilot and a soldier were shot death during the rescue attempt.

From April 5, 1982 to January 8, 1983, there were several eruptions at Mt Galunggung in Tasikmalaya and Bandung was buried in several inches of ash.

21st century

On December 24, 2000, there were bomb attacks against churches in Bandung. The bombs exploded prematurely and the perpetrators were arrested.

On February 21, 2005, a landslide occurred at the garbage dumpsite in Leuwigajah, Bandung. 143 people were killed by the landslide. After this fatal accident, the Leuwigajah dumpsite was closed and Bandung had a major problem in garbage management. The entire city was turned into a giant garbage dump ("kota sampah"). The mayor of Bandung was unable to solve the problem and the governor of West Java was forced to search for new garbage dumpsites. Fortunately the problem is solved now.[ citation needed ]

Today, Bandung has grown beyond its city core with the Bandung Raya plan. Traffic in Bandung is infamous with its complex, congested and chaotic nature. [14] The city core is practically uprooted, old faces are torn down, lot sizes regrouped, and what was idyllic residence is now bustling chain supermarkets and rich banks. [3] However Bandung is always a weekend break destination for people living in Jakarta. The Cipularang Toll Road was recently completed, reducing travel time from Jakarta. The major attraction to come to Bandung is the food and fashion shopping. The food in Bandung is well known for their wide varieties and taste. Bandung is also a place to do fashion shopping with its numerous factory outlets and stock centres. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sukarno</span> President of Indonesia from 1945 to 1967

Sukarno was an Indonesian statesman, orator, revolutionary, and nationalist who was the first president of Indonesia, serving from 1945 to 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Java</span> Province of Indonesia

West Java is a province of Indonesia on the western part of the island of Java, with its provincial capital in Bandung. West Java is bordered by the province of Banten and the country's capital region of Jakarta to the west, the Java Sea to the north, the province of Central Java to the east and the Indian Ocean to the south. With Banten, this province is the native homeland of the Sundanese people, the second-largest ethnic group in Indonesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bandung</span> City and capital of West Java, Indonesia

Bandung is the capital city of the West Java province of Indonesia. Located on the island of Java, Greater Bandung is the country's second-largest and most populous metropolitan area, with over 11 million inhabitants. Situated 768 meters above sea level, approximately 140 kilometres southeast of Jakarta, Bandung has cooler year-round temperatures than most other Indonesian cities. The city lies in a river basin surrounded by volcanic mountains that provide a natural defence system, which was the primary reason for the Dutch East Indies government's plan to move the capital from Batavia to Bandung. Greater Bandung is also the ninth-largest economy in ASEAN, after Greater Hanoi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Batavia, Dutch East Indies</span> Capital of the Dutch East Indies

Batavia was the capital of the Dutch East Indies. The area corresponds to present-day Jakarta, Indonesia. Batavia can refer to the city proper or its suburbs and hinterland, the Ommelanden, which included the much larger area of the Residency of Batavia in the present-day Indonesian provinces of Jakarta, Banten and West Java.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sukabumi</span> City in West Java, Indonesia

Sukabumi is a landlocked city surrounded by the regency of the same name in the southern foothills of Mount Gede, in West Java, Indonesia, about 100 km (62 mi) south of the national capital, Jakarta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Post Road</span> Historical road in Java, Indonesia constructed in the early 19th century

The Great Post Road is the name for the historical road that runs across Java that connects Anyer and Panarukan. It was built during the reign of Herman Willem Daendels (1808–1811), governor-general of the Dutch East Indies, using unpaid forced labor that cost thousands of lives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sukabumi Regency</span> Regency of Indonesia

Sukabumi Regency is a regency (kabupaten) in southwestern Java, as part of West Java province of Indonesia. The regency seat is located in Palabuhan Ratu, a coastal district facing the Indian Ocean. The regency fully encircles the administratively separated city of Sukabumi. Covering an area of 4,145.70 km2, the regency is the largest regency in West Java and the second largest regency on Java after the Banyuwangi Regency in East Java. The regency had a population of 2,341,409 at the 2010 census and 2,725,450 at the 2020 census; the official estimate as at mid 2022 was 2,806,664, with a large part of it living in the northeastern part of the regency that encircles Sukabumi City, south of Mount Gede. A plan to create a new regency, the North Sukabumi Regency is currently waiting for the approval of the central government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bandung Sea of Fire</span> Burning of Bandung, Indonesia, in 1946

The Bandung Great Fire refers to the deliberate burning of much of the southern side of the city of Bandung by retreating Indonesian Republican troops during the Indonesian National Revolution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Purworejo Regency</span> Regency in Indonesia

Purworejo is a regency in the southern part of Central Java province in Indonesia. It covers an area of 1,034.82 km2 and had a population of 695,427 at the 2010 Census and 769,880 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2022 was 778,257. Its capital is the town of Purworejo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Coast Road (Java)</span> Road in Indonesia

The North Coast Road is a road 1,430 km in length, that connects Cilegon and Banyuwangi along the northern coast of Java, particularly between Jakarta and Surabaya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parahyangan</span> Cultural region in West Java, Indonesia

Parahyangan or Priangan is a cultural and mountainous region in West Java province on the Indonesian island of Java. Covering a little less than one-sixth of Java, it is the heartland of Sundanese people and their culture. It is bordered to the West by Banten province, to the North by the northern coast region of Subang, Cirebon, and Indramayu, to the east by Central Java province, and to the south by the Indian Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capital of Indonesia</span> National capital in Indonesia

The capital of Indonesia is Jakarta, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Southeast Asia. Previously known as Batavia, it was the de facto capital of the Dutch East Indies. In the early 20th century, the Dutch East Indies government attempted to relocate the capital from Batavia to Bandung. During Indonesia's struggle for independence, the Indonesian government moved the capital to Yogyakarta and then to Bukittinggi, where it remained for a short time until the restoration of control to Jakarta. In 2019, during his annual state of the union address at the parliament, President Joko Widodo announced a plan to relocate the capital to Kalimantan on the island of Borneo. As part of the plan, part of Kutai Kartanegara Regency and Penajam North Paser Regency in East Kalimantan will be carved out to create a new province-level planned city, and the capital will be relocated to a more central location within Indonesia. On 17 January 2022, the name was revealed to be Nusantara.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colonial architecture of Indonesia</span> Dutch East Indies architectural style

The colonial architecture of Indonesia refers to the buildings that were created across Indonesia during the Dutch colonial period, during that time, this region was known as the Dutch East Indies. These types of colonial era structures are more prevalent in Java and Sumatra, as those islands were considered more economically significant during the Dutch imperial period. As a result of this, there is a large number of well preserved colonial era buildings that are still densely concentrated within Indonesian cities in Java and Sumatra to this day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Batavia</span> Military campaign in Java by Sultan Agung in 1628 and 1629

The siege of Batavia was a military campaign led by Sultan Agung of Mataram to capture the Dutch port-settlement of Batavia in Java. The first attempt was launched in 1628, and the second in 1629; both were unsuccessful.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">French and British interregnum in the Dutch East Indies</span> French and British colonial administration in the Dutch East Indies

The French and British interregnum in the Dutch East Indies of the Dutch East Indies took place between 1806 and 1816. The French ruled between 1806 and 1811, while the British took over for 1811 to 1816 and transferred its control back to the Dutch in 1816.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sanusi Hardjadinata</span> Indonesian politician and diplomat (1914–1995)

Mohammad Sanusi Hardjadinata was an Indonesian politician who served as the second chairman of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) from 1975 until 1980. Prior to serving as party chairman, held numerous positions during the presidencies of Sukarno and Suharto, including as governor of West Java, member of the Constitutional Assembly, and cabinet minister in the Djuanda and Ampera cabinets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cimahi railway station</span> Railway station in Indonesia

Cimahi Station (CMI) is a class II railway station located in Baros, Padalarang, West Bandung Regency, to be precise on Station Street, Bandung Barat. The station, which is located at an altitude of +723 meters, is included in the Operational Area II Bandung.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Djerman Prawirawinata</span> Indonesian politician

Djerman Prawirawinata was a Sundanese politician who served as the last Minister of State of Pasundan and a member of the People's Representative Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Preanger Regencies Residency</span> Dutch East Indies administrative division in Java

Preanger Regencies Residency, sometimes referred to as Preanger Residency and renamed Priangan Residency after 1931, was an administrative division (residency) of the Dutch East Indies located in Parahyangan, West Java which existed from 1817 to 1925. Its capital was in Cianjur until 1856 and thereafter in Bandung. The residency contained the municipality of Bandung and the regencies of Bandoeng, Soemedang, Tasikmalaja, Tjiamis and Garoet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buitenzorg Residency</span>

Buitenzorg Residency was an administrative division (Residency) of the Dutch East Indies located in western Java which existed from 1817 to 1867 and from 1925 to 1942. Its seat was at Buitenzorg which was also the seat of the colonial government of the Indies after 1905.

References

  1. R.Teja Wulan (9 October 2010). "Prasasti Bertuliskan Huruf Sunda Kuno Ditemukan di Bandung". VOA Indonesia (in Indonesian).
  2. Oris Riswan (1 March 2014). "Tulang jari di Goa Pawon berumur 9.500 tahun lebih". Sindo News (in Indonesian).
  3. 1 2 3 "An Extremely Brief Urban History of Bandung". Institute of Indonesian Architectural Historian. Retrieved 2006-08-20.
  4. Brahmantyo, B.; Yulianto, E.; Sudjatmiko (2001). "On the geomorphological development of Pawon Cave, west of Bandung, and the evidence finding of prehistoric dwelling cave". JTM. Archived from the original on October 21, 2009. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
  5. "Candi Bojongmenje". Perpustakaan Nasional Indonesia (in Indonesian).
  6. "Pramoedya sheds light on dark side of Daendels highway". The Jakarta Post. 2006-01-08.
  7. Peter .J.M Nas; Pratiwo (2001). "Java and De Groote Postweg, La Grande Route, The High Military Road" (PDF). University of Leiden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-03-27.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. "Old Buildings in Bandung Then and Now" (in Indonesian). Bandung Heritage Society. Retrieved 2006-08-21.
  9. Kunto, Haryanto (1984). Wajah Bandung Tempoe Doeloe. Granesia.
  10. 1 2 Soemardi, Ahmad R.; Radjawali, I (2004). "Creative culture and urban planning:The Bandung Experience" (PDF). The 11th International Planning History Conference 2004. Retrieved 2006-08-21.[ permanent dead link ]
  11. Passchier, Cor. Bandung - A short history on Urban and architectural development (PDF).
  12. "If Only Junghuhn Knows How Cinchona in Indonesia Becomes..." (in Indonesian). Pikiran Rakyat. 2004-06-07. Archived from the original on 2006-05-17. Retrieved 2006-08-21.
  13. Sitaresmi, Ratnayu. "Social History of Bandung Lautan Api (Bandung Sea of Fire) 24 March 1946" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 June 2017. Retrieved 2008-08-22.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  14. "Traffic jams ruin Bandung getaway weekend". The Jakarta Post. 2006-08-22. Archived from the original on 2007-09-26.
  15. "Trading and Promising Services of Bandung". Kompas (in Indonesian). 2004-08-18. Archived from the original on 2007-09-26. Retrieved 2006-08-22.