Bandung

Although Bandung has many mountainous areas, the topography of Bandung is the largest river basin in the Java island^[1], in the middle of a ring of mountains. Many of these mountains are still active volcanoes, including Mount Tangkuban Perahu.

The northern part of the city is more mountainous than other parts of the city. The long volcanic activities have created andisol soil in the north, which is typically very fertile, suitable for an intensive cropping of rice, fruit, tea, tobacco and coffee. In the south and east, alluvial soils are mostly found. They are sediments deposited by the Cikapundung river. Due to the location of the river, the southern part of Bandung is the industrialized area for factories and warehouses. The Cikapundung river runs through Bandung, north to south. It merges into the Citarum river in Karawang.

Mount Tangkuban Perahu

[edit] Geological formation

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During the Pleistocene epoch, the Sunda volcanic mountain was formed with the elevation as high as 3,000 to 4,000 metres. Burangrang and Bukit Tunggul were two of the smaller peaks. Then the larger Sunda mountain erupted, creating a big sized caldera^[2].

Following this eruption, a 22 kilometre geological fault was formed starting from Lembang to the south-east, called the Lembang fault. At the eastern end, in Maribaya, the fault reaches a 450 metre height, but is only 40 metres high in the western part, and the fault disappears in Padalarang. This fault can be easily seen from the road connecting Bandung to Lembang. Waterfalls are formed around the fault. The Lembang fault is still actively moving at the present. Earthquakes have happened several times. A recent study showed that the Lembang fault moves around 20 milimetres every year, along with the subduction movement of the Indo-Australian and Eurasian plates^[3].

About 125,000 years ago, a new peak in the east side of the Sunda mountain was formed and this peak erupted 55,000 years ago. Lava from the eruption blocked the Citarum river, creating a huge lake, the Great Lake of Bandung, bottoming at 712.5 metres above the sea level at it's deepest point. In the other side, the lava flow shaped a new mountain that is now known as Tangkuban Perahu, from tangkuban = flipped and perahu = boat^[4].

The great lake of Bandung was drained away. Van Bemmelen, a Dutch geologist, said that the lake leaked at a place, called Sangiangtikoro hole^[5], in the Rajamandala chalk mountain, west of Bandung. However, it is argued by modern geologists, that the real reason of the drain was because of dip slope^[6].

[edit] Climate

Due to its topography, climate in Bandung is cooler throughout the year than most Indonesian cities. The average annual rainfall ranges from 1,000 milimetres in the central and southeast regions to 3,500 milimetres in the north of the city^[1]. The wet season conforms with other Indonesian regions, around November to April. The average temperature is 22.6°C, cooler than most Indonesian cities. During the Dutch Colonial era, it was considered the equivalent of a Malaysian or Indian hill station.

[edit] History

Main article: History of Bandung

Although the oldest reference to the city dates back to 1488, where it was the capital of the Kingdom of Pajajaran, there have been some archaeological findings of Homo erectus (Java Man) living in the banks of the Cikapundung river and around the old lake of Bandung^[7] ^[8]. During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the Dutch East Indies company (VOC), made 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.

Gedung Sate

In 1809, Louis Napoleon, the ruler of the Netherlands and its colonies, ordered the Dutch Indies Governor H.W. Daendels to increase the defense system of Java island against the British from the Malaysian peninsula. Daendels built a road, stretching about 1000 km from the west coast to the east coast of Java. Since the northern part of West Java at that time was only swamp and marsh, the road was diverted through Bandung^[9]^[10]. The Great Postweg (now Jalan Asia-Afrika) was laid down in 1810.

When Daendels was walking along the edge of the Cikapundung river, he was amazed by the site where he stood and he then put a stick at the edge of the Cikapundung river. He said: "Zorg, dat als ik terug kom hier een stad is gebouwd!" (Make sure that, when I return, there's a city here!)^[11]. Now, it is the center of Bandung, the kilometer zero of the city.

In 1880, the first major railroad between Batavia and Bandung was laid down^[12]. It gave a high boost of light industry in Bandung. Chinese who had never before lived in that area flocked in to help run the facilities, services and vendor machines. An old Chinatown district in Bandung can still be recognized in the vicinity of the railroad station. In 1906, Bandung was given the status of gemeente (municipality) and then later as stadsgemeente (city municipality) in 1926.

Having location in a lowland, surrounded by a ring of mountains, Bandung is strategically advantageous for military defense. In 1930s, the Dutch East Indies government had planned to move the capital from Batavia to Bandung. R.A. Wiranatakusumah II, the chief administration of the 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), now it is alun-alun (city square). He built his dalem (palace), masjid agung (the grand mosque) and pendopo (public-official meeting place) in the classical orientation^[13]. The pendopo faces Tangkuban Perahu mountain, who was believed to have a mystical ambience. In the meantime, the Dutch East Indies government built military barracks, the central government building (Gouvernments Bedrijven, nicknamed Gedung Sate) and other buildings. However, this plan has never been realized as the failure of the Dutch to reclaim Indonesia after the World War II.

The fertile area of the Parahyangan mountains surrounding Bandung has made productive tea plantations. In the nineteenth century, cinchona (kina) plants was introduced by Franz Junghuhn^[14]. Cinchona is a plant that can be used for the treatment of malaria and the old pharmacy factory of cinchona still exists in the city.

Bandung had developed itself into an exclusive European resort style with hotels, cafes and shops^[7]. 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^[12]. The title of "Parijs van Java" was given to the city.

Gedung Merdeka during the Asian-African Conference in 1955

Bandung was decided as the provincial capital of West Java, after the independence. During the Dutch police action, there was an ultimatum for the Indonesian combatants in Bandung to leave. 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^[15]. A heroic song "Halo-halo Bandung" was sang along by these hundreds of patriots.

In 1955, the first Asian-African Conference was held in Bandung. Twenty-nine countries attended the conference that established the Nonaligned Movement block.

Today, Bandung has growth more than its city core with the Bandung Raya plan. Traffic in Bandung is infamous with its complex, congested and chaotic nature^[16]. 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^[7]. However Bandung is always be a weekend break destination for people living in Jakarta. A new Cipularang highway 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^[17].

[edit] City administration

List of Mayors [1]
Dutch-Indies
E.A. Maurenbrecher (exofficio)	1906-1907
R.E. Krijboom (exofficio)	1907-1908
J.A. van Der Ent (exofficio)	1909-1910
J.J. Verwijk (exofficio)	1910-1912
C.C.B. van Vlenier (exofficio)	1912-1913
B. van Bijveld (exofficio)	1913-1920
B. Coops	1920-1921
S.A. Reitsma	1921-1928
B. Coops	1928-1934
Ir. J.E.A. van Volsorgen Kuhr	1934-1936
Mr. J.M. Wesselink	1936-1942
N. Beets	1942-1942
Japanese Occupation
Raden A. Atma dit Nata	1942-1945
Indonesia
Ir. Ukar Bratakusumah	1946-1949
R. Enoch	1949-1956
R. Priatna Kusumah	1956-1966
R. Didi Jukardi	1966-1968
Hidayat Sukarmadijaya	1968-1971
R. Otje Djundjunan	1971-1976
Ucu Junaedi	1976-1978
R. Husein Wangsaatmaja	1978-1983
Ateng Wahyudi	1983-1993
Wahyu Hamidjaja	1993-1998
Aa Tarmana	1998-2003
Dada Rosada	2003-now

Bandung is divided into 26 subdistricts (kecamatan) and 139 villages (kelurahan). The 26 subdistricts are: Sukasari, Cidadap, Coblong, Cibeunying Kaler, Cibeunying Kidul, Sukajadi, Cicendo, Andir, Bandung Kulon, Babakan Ciparay, Astana Anyar, Bojongloa Kaler, Bojongloa Kidul, Bandung Kidul, Regol, Lengkong, Sumur Bandung, Bandung Wetan, Kiara Condong, Batununggal, Cicadas, Margacinta, Rancasari, Arcamanik, Ujungberung, and Cibiru.

The head of city administration is mayor (walikota) and vice mayor. Since 2005, according to the Indonesian government law no. 6 (PP No. 6), 2005, all local governments, including mayor, vice mayor and local parliament (known as DPRD), are directly voted by the people, i.e. city residents.

Three city-owned business units (BUMD) are water management company, cleaning service and people's credit bank (BPR). There are 20 city services and 16 technical services under the city administration.

[edit] Landmarks

Main article: Indonesian architecture

Bandung is known for its large number of old buildings in Dutch architecture. Most notably the Art Deco architectural style. C.P.W. Schoemaker is the most famous architect at that time, who likes to combine European architecture with tropical ornaments^[18]. Today, the city administration has the intention to reshape the city with banks, malls and other commercial buildings^[7]. Recently, the Bandung Heritage Society [2], a non-profit organization, has been formed to save these buildings. Following is the list of Bandung art-deco buildings:

Gedung Sate at Jl. Diponegoro. Formerly was used as the head of Dutch Indies Government Companies, now it is the West Java governor office and local provincial house of representatives.
Savoy Homann Hotel at Asia-Afrika Road, well-known since 1880.
Gedung Merdeka or was called the Concordia Society at Asia-Afrika Road, a historic building where the 1955 Asian-African Conference took place.
Villa Isola, a beautiful villa with symmetrical garden that was built in 1932. Now it serves as UPI's (University of Education Indonesia) headmastership building.
Gedung Dwi Warna
Gedung Pakuan, now the official residence of the West Java Governor.

Institut Teknologi Bandung. Ceremonial Hall by architect Henri Maclaine-Pont

Other than art-deco buildings, Bandung has other distinguished landmarks. Masjid Agung Bandung or the grand mosque, built in 1812, was recently renovated with two 81 m high minarets. The oldest technical university in Indonesia, Institut Teknologi Bandung, has two prominence halls (the west and east halls) whose unique exterior styling gives hint of the shape of traditional houses such as those of Minangkabau, Toraja, and Batak. Braga street, in the city center, was a trademark of the city during the colonial time. Modern landmarks include the only suspension bridge in Bandung, the 2.8 km Pasopati bridge, connecting eastern and western part of the city and also the Monument of West Java People Heroic Struggle in front of Gedung Sate.

[edit] Culture

Angklung

The West Java people are called the Sundanese, endowed with language and traditions unique to that of the rest of Java. The Sundanese language has 3 distinct hierarchies, starting from the lowly harsh (kasar), middle, and soft (lemes) Sundanese. Many Sundanese words have been adopted into Indonesian, although many of its contributions consist of profanities. Pajajaran Kingdom was the oldest kingdom in the region. The West Java region is also named as Parahyangan or the "Land of the Gods". In its later history, the region fell under influence of the Central Java kingdoms, reflected in elite Sundanese having borrowed much of its vocabulary and grammar from elite Javanese.

In Indonesia, the Sundanese people are known to be more easy going and less formal in their temperament than their distant relatives from Central Java and East Java. This is reflected in the grammar of the Sundanese language, which has many forms allowing for meaningless light banter. Interestingly, Sundanese has contributed many swear words to the Indonesian language spoken in Jakarta.

The most popular traditional musical instrument is angklung, made of parallel bamboo tubes tuned to specific frequencies with a hammer and is shaken to produce certain notes. Music is performed by a choir of angklung players, each of whom are responsible for sounding certain notes. Its melody is only slightly different from that of Central Java's gamelan ensembles.

[edit] Transport

The main gateway to the city is by road transport. An intercity highway, named as Cipularang toll road, connecting Jakarta, Karawang, Purwakarta, Padalarang and Bandung, has recently been completed in May 2005. It is currently the fastest way to go to Bandung from the capital. Driving time is about 1.5 to 2 hours on average.

Bandung can be accessed through normal roads. From Jakarta, there are 2 options: the Puncak route (Jakarta-Cianjur/Sukabumi-Bandung) or the Subang route (Jakarta-Cikampek-Subang-Lembang-Bandung). From eastern part of the cities (Cirebon, Tasikmalaya and Central Java province), Bandung can be accessed through the main provincial road.

Pasopati bridge

The Pasopati bridge recently opened to the public, relieving traffic jams in the city for east-west transport. The 2.8 km suspension bridge lies through the valley of Cikapundung. It is 30 to 60 metres wide and after extensive delays, its construction finally completed in June 2005, following financial investment from Kuwait^[19].

There is no rapid mass transit system in Bandung. The primary means of public transportation is by minibus, called angkot (from angkutan=transportation and kota=city). They serve certain routes throughout the city and are operated privately. There is no way to find exact angkot routes, except by asking the operators. Locals only learn routes for each angkot by heart. Taxis are available, while city-owned buses, called DAMRI, operates on larger relatively long routes. Bandung has 2 intercity bus terminals: Leuwipanjang, serving buses from the west, and Cicaheum, serving buses from the east.

The only airport in Bandung is Husein Sastranegara, serving flights from other major cities in Indonesia and also international services from Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. The airport is located nearby the Dirgantara aerospace complex. A railroad track connects Bandung to Jakarta and Cianjur to the west, and Tasikmalaya and Cilacap to the east. It is also the major means of transportation for people living in suburb areas of Cimahi, Padalarang, Rancaekek, Cicalengka and Cileunyi.

[edit] Education

There are hundreds of public and private schools in Bandung. Like in other Indonesian cities, Bandung has several state-funded and administered junior high and high schools, called State Junior High Schools (SMPN) and State High Schools (SMAN), respectively. Privately administered schools have also been around for many years.

At least 16 universities — 3 of them are state-owned university — and 45 professional schools are scattered throughout the city. From social sciences, technology until tourism education can be found in one of those universities. The oldest technical university, Institut Teknologi Bandung, established in 1920 as Bandung Technisch Hogeschool in Dutch, has been attached as a trademark of the city's high education status. Therefore, the city has attracted hundreds of students from all over Indonesia.

[edit] Economy

Fresh products at a market in Bandung

Home of nearly 50 higher educational schools, Bandung is the intellectual heart of the country, part college town, part colonial hill station and part industrial center. Compared to other major cities in Indonesia — Yogyakarta as the center of traditional culture, Bali for religious based culture, and Jakarta as for commercial related culture — Bandung is said as a city with creative culture^[12].

Creative-based culture has shaped the basis of Bandung economy. The-then quiet residential Dago area has turned into important business and entertainment center. Chic cafes and restaurants are spreading out along Dago street. Every Saturday night, hundreds of hip-hop youngsters packed in Dago street to celebrate the weekend and having the party until midnight. The street is transformed into a block of party area and traffic is simply halted. The same residential area along Cihampelas street has transformed completely into stylish and popular denim stores parade.

Distro (distribution outlet) is another product of Bandung cultural creativity. Distro is a shop that sells stylish non-trademarked products, made by local designers. Books, indie label records, magazines, fashion products and other accessories are typical distro products. After their products receive large teenagers attention, then these local designers make their own clothing company. Now, there are more than 200 local brand names in Bandung. Distro distance itself from factory outlet in term of its philosophy. Distros come from individual designers and young entrepreneurs, while factory outlet products come from a garment factory^[20].

[edit] Tourism industry

Bandung has served for popular weekend-break destination for people living in Jakarta for many reasons. The cooler climate of highland plantation area, the varieties of food, the cheaper fashion shops located in factory outlets and distros, and the friendliness of local people have become the main attraction of the city.^[21]

In the 1990s, local designers opened denim clothing stores along Cihampelas and since then, Bandung is nicknamed "Tourist Shopping City" (Kota Wisata Belanja).^[22] It was a huge success as now the-then residential street has been fully 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.^[23]

The Martabak

The city gained more shoppers to come, as textile factories in the outskirt of Bandung also opened a fashion store that sells their products directly from the factory. The products are sold cheaper than ordinary shops and they are tagged as sisa export (rejected or over-produced export quality items). These shops are called factory outlets. Again, it was a big success and now even many factory outlets are scattered inside the city, with the same tags and prices but without the factory nearby.^[24] Factory outlets are concentrated along Riau and Dago streets. Some can be found along Buah Batu street.

There are many food varieties in Bandung. Local traditional foods include peuyeum (fermented cassava), "batagor" (fried tofu and fish), and "martabak" (salted = fried meat/chicken stuffed egg or sweet = baked sweet flour with chocolate/cheese). International food is also easy to be found in many restaurants. Sundanese restaurants are scattered around the city.

Bandung also offers nature tourism. Some of them are hiking to the top of the flipped-boat shape mount Tangkuban Perahu, camping around the lake of Patenggang in the middle of tea plantation, and trekking from the end of Dago street to Maribaya, Lembang through the water reservoir park of Juanda.

[edit] Sports

Bandung is the home town of the soccer team Persib. Another soccer team Persikab is based in neighboring city of Cimahi, part of Bandung Regency. The most popular football stadium is Siliwangi Stadium.

Other popular sports in Bandung include badminton and basketball. The roads leading up to Lembang and Dago are popular routes for mountain cycling during the weekend. In the hillside around Bandung, there are a couple of golf courses.

[edit] Environmental issues

A mountain of trash at Pagarsih Street

The mountainous topography of the north of Bandung has given rise to the attraction of building villas and houses on hillsides, offering views of the city. However, the area also serves as a water reservoir for the 2 million people living there. Several attempts to reserve this area have been made, by creating reservation parks, such as the Juanda National Park and Puncrut, but the development of real estates in the north is growing even faster. The real danger has come in the form of several floodings in Bandung's south^[25].

In the middle of 2006, Bandung faced another environmental disaster, as the final dumping site was being reevaluated due to a landslide in 2005.^[26] Collection of 8,000 m3/day domestic garbage piled up, creating a hazardous situation^[27]^[28]. Air pollution, spreading of diseases and clean water contamination were clear and present dangers to local citizens. The provincial government eventually stepped in to solve the garbage issues.