Bandung and Everything Inside It - West Java
Bandung
Bandung is the capital of West Java province, and the country’s third largest city, and 2nd largest metropolitan in Indonesia.
The Dutch colonials first opened tea plantations 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 (Dutch: “The Paris of Java”)
In 1990, Bandung was become the safeties city according to Time magazine. People call Bandung as Kota Kembang or flower city. Moreover, Bandung is also become the main destination for its factory outlet and shopping center. In 2007, The British Council sited Bandung as the Pilot Project for the most creative city in East Asia. Until these days, Bandung is become the most destination city in tourism and education.
Bandung has relatively year-around cooler temperature than most other Indonesian cities. The city lies on a river basin and surrounded by volcanic mountains, then the land is morphologically like a giant bowl. Bandung was flowed by 2 main rivers, which is Cikapundung river and Citarum river with those branches that all of those are flow to the south and meet in bank of Citarum river.
Bandung was come from the word Bendung or Bendungan or a Dam. It is because the dam of Citarum river by the lava of Tangkuban Perahu mountain, then there was a lake because of it.
Bandung was become the settlement since the government of Dutch colonialism which was confirmed by Herman Willem Daendels, with his letter of sentence in 25 September 1810. Since then, the date was become the anniversary for Bandung.
Bandung is the most populated city in West Java, and Sundanese is the most inhabitant that live in here. Beside, the Javanese is the most minor inhabitant after others ethnics.
At early begin, Bandung was the city of farm and plantation. But as the time goes by there are new area for settlements and it becomes the industrial area. Bandung economy is mainly built upon tourism, manufacturing, textile/apparel, education institutions, technology, retail, services, plantation/agriculture, financial, pharmaceutical, food, among others. Those are the major investments and most popular fields/industries being sought here. Moreover, the tourism sites are become the big commodities for the economic growth.
There are tons of interesting destination in Bandung, related with historical time line that happened in this heroic city. Hence, there must be some places that worth to be explored. Beside, the culture, the atmosphere, the people and the way of living become Bandung is special.
Bandung has served for popular weekend-break destination for people living in Jakarta. The cooler climate of highland plantation area, the varieties of food, the cheaper fashion shops located in factory outlets and distros, golf courses are attractions of the city.
In the 1990s, local designers opened denim clothing stores along Cihampelas Street which transformed into a “jeans street”. The city attracts people from other big cities to buy local fashion wears, as they are cheaper than branded items. Textile factories on the outskirts of Bandung have opened factory outlets on site selling what is marketed as sisa export (rejected or over-produced export quality items)
In the late 18th and early 19th century, as locals called it the bandoeng tempo doeloe (old Bandung) era, there were many buildings built with an art-deco style. The city that had served as a weekend resort for European rich men has made these type of buildings possible. Unfortunately the city administration has a tendency to create a modern look of the city with suspension bridge, banks, malls and commercial areas, instead of preserving old historical buildings. The non-profit organization Bandung Heritage Society has been formed recently to save these jewels forever. Make sure you see these buildings before they’re gone :
– Villa Isola, Jl. Dr. Setiabudhi 229.
– Gedung Merdeka, Jl. Asia-Afrika 65 (near alun-alun or city square).
– Savoy Homann Hotel, Jl. Asia-Afrika 112
– Grand Hotel Preanger, Jl. Asia-Afrika 81
– Gedung Sate, Jl. Diponegoro
– Cipaganti Mosque, Jl. Cipaganti
– ITB West and East Hall (Aula Barat & Timur ITB), Jl. Ganesha 10
There are many activities that you can do in the city or outside the city. As Bandung highland is surrounded by a string of mountains, activities in the outskirt of the city are mainly mountain resorts, adventures and outdoor sports. In the city, you can have culinary activities as there are so many food varieties, shopping with many clothing outlets and distros or just hanging around.
