Cipanas

This article is about Cipanas in Cianjur Regency. For Cipanas in Garut, see Garut Regency.
Cipanas
Village

The view of Cipanas cir. 1930
Nickname(s): Kota Bunga (Flower Town)
Cipanas

Location of Cipanas in Java

Cipanas

Location of Cipanas in Indonesia

Coordinates: 6°43′59″S 107°02′27″E / 6.733035°S 107.040966°ECoordinates: 6°43′59″S 107°02′27″E / 6.733035°S 107.040966°E
Country  Indonesia
Province West Java
Regency Cianjur
district Cipanas
Established 1740
Government
 • Regent Tjetjep Muchtar Soleh, MM
 • District Chief Ayi Hidayat
Area
 • Total 58.03 ha (143.40 acres)
Elevation 1,080 m (3,540 ft)
Population (2010)
 • Total 15,435
 • Density 27,000/km2 (69,000/sq mi)
Time zone WIB (UTC+7)
Postal Code 43253
Area code(s) 0255
Website http://www.cianjurkab.go.id
Carriages and fish pond at Hotel Tjipanas in Aug 1902

Cipanas (Indonesian pronunciation: [tʃipanas]; not to be confused with another Cipanas in Garut Regency) is a village in Cipanas District, in the northern part of the Cianjur Regency, West Java, Indonesia,[1] in the valley of Mount Gede, and 86 kilometres (53 mi) southeast of the Indonesian capital Jakarta. The name of the village means "hot water" or "hot spring" in Sundanese (ci, water, panas, hot), because the area has sulfuric hot springs.

A car parked near a hotwater spring resort in Cipanas, circa 1925-1933

The village had a population of 15,435 at the 2010 Census (the district held a population of 103,911). It is best known for being home to the Istana Cipanas, a wooden "palace" of the former Dutch Governor Generals of the Dutch East Indies, and also the country retreat of former President Sukarno at Istana Cipanas. Since the era of Dutch rule until before Enhanced Indonesian Spelling System (or EYD) established, its name was spelled Tjipanas.[2]

History

The area already had a long history of village dwellers since Sunda Kingdom and Banten Sultanate, at the time the Presidential Palace was erected by a Dutch landlord named Van Heots in 1740. Out of interest in the local hot springs, during the administration of VOC Governor General Gustaaf Willem van Imhoff (1743-1750),[3] a health building was constructed near a hot spring. The reputation of the area for clean, fresh and cool mountain air led to the building being made into a resort for the Dutch Governor Generals.

Dutch military convoy passes a bridge near Cipanas circa 1946 during Indonesian National Revolution

From 1744 to 1761 a Buitenhospitaal (outdoor hospital or villa-hospital) existed in Cipanas. It was a kind of Spa that served as a health-resort. The wooden hospital was built on a hillside surrounded by woods and valleys. It was staffed by an 1st surgeon (opperchirurgijn) and an second in charge surgeon (onderchirurgijn). The building had two floors, a covered walkway, a bathhouse and a pharmacy and was in demand by many sick people, or inmates of the hospital. However to arrive in the mountains took a difficult and strenuous journey of 4 days and the capacity of the hospital was too small to become a relief for patients. By Resolution of 30th June 1761 the resort was closed.[4]

The palace was used by Commissioner-General Leonard Pietr Josef du Bus de Gisignies and his secretary, Carel Sirardus Willem Graaf van Hogendorp (1820-1841). In addition, Herman Willem Daendels (1808-1811) and Thomas Stanford Raffles, during their terms, used hundreds of people as workers for plantations around the palace.[3]

Climate and ecology

Cipanas has a tropical rainforest climate. Throughout the year the humidity is high due to the significant annual precipitation of around 4013 mm. Due to its relatively high elevation, the average annual high temperature in Cipanas is around 78.75 °F (25.97 °C) and the annual low temperature is 64.08 °F (17.82 °C).[5]

Locally present fauna include the silvery gibbon, Javan surili and Sunda Thrush, and flora include Elaeocarpus macrocerus, Alstonia spathulata, Mangifera gedebe (a member of the mango family), Stemonurus secundiflorus, and Thoracostachyrum sumatrana (a large sedge).[6]

The Nusantara Flower Garden within the village is a popular tourist attraction. The garden, extending over 23 hectares (0.23 km2), hosts a wide variety of worldwide flora, and possesses a maze, giant clock and tower. Close to Cipanas, in Cibodas in the Pacet district, is the Kebun Raya Cibodas (Cibodas Botanic Garden), an extension of the Kebun Raya Bogor (formerly Buitenzorg Botanic Garden) in Bogor.

Climate data for Cipanas
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 25
(77)		 24
(76)		 26
(78)		 26
(79)		 27
(80)		 26
(79)		 26
(79)		 27
(80)		 27
(80)		 27
(80)		 26
(79)		 26
(78)		 25.97
(78.75)
Average low °C (°F) 18
(64)		 18
(65)		 18
(65)		 18
(65)		 18
(65)		 18
(64)		 17
(63)		 17
(62)		 17
(63)		 18
(64)		 18
(65)		 18
(64)		 17.82
(64.08)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 250.2
(9.85)		 231.8
(9.126)		 181.9
(7.161)		 181.5
(7.146)		 102.6
(4.039)		 8
(0.31)		 7
(0.28)		 53.1
(2.091)		 70
(2.76)		 96.4
(3.795)		 196.5
(7.736)		 200.2
(7.882)		 1,579.2
(62.173)
Source: http://www.worldweatheronline.com/v2/weather.aspx?q=-6.733035,%20107.040966''

Demographics

The ethnic makeup of Cipanas is mostly Sundanese people. The majority of the residents are Muslim, with the total Muslim population as of 2013 being 99,657 (93.8%), Catholic Christians 881 (0.83%), Protestant Christians 603 (0.567%) and others 5,117 (4.8%).[1]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Biro Pusat Statistik. "Cianjur Dalam Angka 2013" (in Indonesian). Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  2. ↑ Zulkifley Hamid, Ramli Salleh, Rahim Aman (2006). Linguistik Melayu: Siri rampai bahasa dan sastera Melayu (in Malay). Malaysia: Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. p. 43. ISBN 978-9-679427585.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Cipanas, Istana". Retrieved January 21, 2014.
  4. ↑ Hospitals of Netherlands East Indies 1890 – 1940 A comprehensive study (PDF). p. 4. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
  5. ↑ world Weather Online. "Cipanas Monthly Climate Average, Indonesia". Retrieved January 22, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Western Java Mountain Forests". WWF. Retrieved 21 January 2014.

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