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Bandung
Located 768 m above sea level, Bandung has relatively cooler climate than most other Indonesian cities. The northern part of the city, where Parahyangan University is located, is hillier than the rest and runs up to Tangkuban Perahu volcano with its distinctive flat-topped shape (Tangkuban Perahu literally means ‘up-turned boat’). Other volcanoes, and hot springs, are within easy distance of the city. Due to its elevation, the climate in Bandung is cooler than most Indonesian cities; the average temperature is 23.6 °C. 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 runs from around November to April. The majority of the people of Bandung are from the Sundanese ethnic group. The Sundanese language is spoken as the first language and is commonly used as informal language for communication in streets and markets. Indonesian is used as a second language and the language of government, businesses and instruction at schools; virtually everyone in Bandung speaks Indonesian. HistoryThe earliest archival references to a city or town of Bandung date back to 1488, though human habitation of the region extends back thousands of years before that. The present-day location of the city resulted from the decision of the colonial authorities in Batavia – the old name for Jakarta – to build a major road connecting the eastern and western extremities of the island of Java, in the early years of the 19th century. The road – called the Grote Postweg – ran slightly to the north of the old Bandung site; on orders from Batavia, the city was itself moved north to lie on the road itself. The present-day Jl Asia-Afrika, through the centre of the city, marks the line of the Grote Postweg. Under colonial rule, the region around Bandung, and particularly to the north, developed as a centre for the production of plantation crops, including tea, coffee, rubber, tobacco and cinchona. The latter was used for the production of quinine; Bandung is still a major producer of this anti-malarial drug. Bandung itself developed into a resort city for the plantation owners. Luxurious hotels, restaurants, cafes and European boutiques were opened, which led to the city being dubbed the Parijs van Java (Paris of Java). The city was known particularly for its art deco buildings, constructed in the 1920s and 1930s. Many of these buildings, including the Savoy Homan hotel, the Merdeka building and the Bumi Siliwangi building at the National Education University, are still in existence. During the struggle against the Dutch, following the proclamation of Indonesian independence in 1945, Bandung was the city of much heavy fighting. In the most famous episode, on 24 March 1946 much of the southern part of Bandung was deliberately set alight as the Indonesian forces withdrew; an event known as the Bandung Lautan Api or ‘Bandung Sea of Fire’. In 1955, the city attracted global attention when it hosted the first Asian-African Conference. The conference was held in the Merdeka building, on Jl Asia-Afrika – renamed in commemoration of the event. Bandung TodayIn recent years the city has developed as a major commercial and economic hub for West Java. Its economy is mainly built on industries such as tourism, manufacturing, textile/apparel, education, technology and pharmaceutical products. Bandung has nearly 50 higher educational institutions and is among the most popular destination for education in Indonesia. In the early 1990s Jl Cihampelas became a popular location for retail outlets called distro (for distribution outlet). 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. Bandung also has a vibrant arts scene, both traditional and contemporary. The city has more than 15 major art galleries and numerous independent studios for multimedia, animation and music recording. Amongst the leading art galleries are Common Room, Selasar Sunaryo Art Space, Galeri Soemardja, Galeri Adira and Galeri Kita. Bandung is also the home of the Indonesian Institute for the Arts (ISI Bandung). A popular traditional Sundanese musical instrument is angklung, made of bamboo tubes attached to a frame and tuned to a specific frequency. The frame is shaken to produce particular notes. Music is performed by a group of angklung players, each of whom is responsible for sounding certain notes. The recent completion of the toll road linking Bandung to Jakarta has meant an increase in traffic on the city’s already crowded roads, especially on weekends, as Jakartans flock to the city for shopping and recreation. Crossing a busy street is perhaps more of an art than a science; fortune favours the brave! Further Reading
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Bandung is the capital of West Java province, the country’s second largest metropolitan area, and its fourth largest city, with a 2007 population of a little under 2.5 million people. | Copyright © ACICIS 2005 | Email : acicis@murdoch.edu.au |