Senen (meaning Monday in Indonesian) is one of the historic subdistrict of Central Jakarta, Indonesia. Its close proximity with the some of the historic center of Jakarta: Merdeka Square (formerly the Koningsplein) and Lapangan Banteng (formerly the Waterloo Square) means that this area is one of the historic area in Jakarta. Some of the important landmarks of Senen Subdistrict are the Museum of Indonesian National Awakening (formerly the STOVIA medical school) and the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Indonesia.
Senen subdistrict is roughly bounded by a railway line to the east and Ciliwung River to the west. The area is mainly served by Senen railway station and Senen bus terminal. Some of the important road of the area are Kramat Raya Road (the main road that formerly link Jakarta with Jatinegara) and Senen Raya Road (the focal point of Senen market).
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The historic area of Senen is mainly concentrated on the Senen administrative village. Senen was developed in 1733 by Dutch entrepreneur Justinus Vinck, after the Dutch government built the new town, Weltevreden, in south of Batavia. Besides Senen market in the east, Vinck also built Tanah Abang market in the west. The two markets are linked by Kwitang street and Kebon Sirih street.
On 19 November 1919, the government built CBZ (Centrale Burgelijke Ziekenhuis) in Salemba, southern area of Senen Subdistrict, which was re-named Cipto Mangunkusumo Central Hospital following the nation's independence.[1]
During the 1960s and 1970s, many artists and poets started their career in Planet Senen youth center, among them were Benyamin Sueb, Bing Slamet, and Misbach Yusa Biran. On 15 January 1974, students demonstrated against the government’s policy regarding the role of foreign investment in Indonesia. In front of Senen market, the demonstration somehow led to a riot—later known as the Malari incident.
Today, Senen market (located in ) is one of six Jakarta trade centers, together with Glodok, Mangga Dua, Jatinegara, Tanah Abang, Pasar Baru and Blok M. In 1970, Ali Sadikin, the governor of Jakarta at that time, built Proyek Senen.[2] Along Kramat Raya street, vendors of Minangkabau descent can be seen selling a variety of Minangkabau cuisine. Along Kwitang street lies Jakarta's largest book market.
In 1990, the government built a modern shopping center, the Atrium superbloc which before 1997 Asian financial crisis hosted the international brand of Yaohan and Mark & Spencer as its anchor tenant.
Planet Senen Youth Center is located next to Pasar Senen station and across Senen bus terminal. The place was once a meeting place for young poets and artists in the 1960s. The center was inaugurated by the then governor Ali Sadikin on 27 August 1974, as part of his efforts to improve the area's condition that is known for its high crime rate and prostitution. It was named "Planet Senen" because during the time of its construction, there were many round buildings in the area. Today the center has a theater and an indoor sports facility.
Historian Alwi Shahab said the Senen prostitutes were later moved to Kramat Tunggak, North Jakarta, by governor Ali Sadikin.[3]
Later in 1970s, Planet Center popularity began to fade as most poets and artists started to go to arts center Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM) on Jl. Cikini Raya, located to the west on the Subdistrict of Menteng.[3]
In 2005, the city administration planned to revitalize the whole Senen commercial area, including the bus terminal and station. However, the revitalization plan has not begun.[3]
The subdistrict of Senen is divided into six administrative villages (kelurahan):
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