Visit Surakarta, “Heritage City” in Indonesia

Surakarta, also called Solo or Sala, is a city in Central Java, Indonesia of more than 520,061 people (2009) with a population density of 11,811.5 people/km2. The 44 km2 city adjoins Karanganyar Regency and Boyolali Regency to the north, Karanganyar Regency and Sukoharjo Regency to the east and west, and Sukoharjo Regency to the south. On the eastern side of Solo lies Bengawan Solo River. The city is the seat of Surakarta Sunanatekraton (palace/court). Together with Yogyakarta, Surakarta is the heir of the Mataram Kingdom that was split into two kingdoms in 1755.

 Clockwise: Skyline of Solo, Ngarsopuro, Pura Mangkunagaran,

Sepur Kluthuk Jaladara, Windujenar Market

 

Tourism

The main tourist attraction of Surakarta is Keraton Surakarta, the palace of Susuhunan Pakubuwono, also the Princely Javanese court of Mangkunegaran. Pasar Gede is often visited by tourists, mostly for its unique architecture and fame as the biggest traditional market in the Solo area. The Pasar Klewer is famous for its batiks in all prices and qualities, while the Pasar Triwindhu located near Mangkunegaran palace specializes in antiques. Taman Sriwedari is a popular local entertainment park featuring a children's playground, dangdut music performance, and Wayang Wong traditional Javanese dance performance almost every night. Near the park is Radyapustaka Museum, one of the oldest museums in Indonesia, with a collection of Javanese cultural artifacts. The traditional batik village of Laweyan and Kampung Batik Kauman, located in the southwest part of the city and the city center respectively, are famous for producing fine quality Javanese batik.

 Tower and portal of Kraton Surakarta

Batik village of Laweyan

Surakarta is located 60 kilometres from Yogyakarta and shares many tourism spots with it. Candi Borobudur, Candi Prambanan, Candi Ratu Boko, Candi Kalasan, and many other Candi or ancient temples are historical tourist sights. Surakarta is located much closer to Candi Cetho and Candi Sukuh on the slopes of Mount Lawu. The mountainous area of Tawangmangu, featuring Grojogan Sewu waterfall on the slope of Mount Lawu, is also a popular destination for tourists during their stay in Surakarta.

Accommodations are widely available, from small lodgings to international chain hotels.

Cuisine

Food associated with Surakarta includes Nasi Liwet, Nasi Timlo, Tongseng, Serabi, Sate buntel, Intip, Roti Mandarin, and Bakpia Balong. Gudeg Solo is also different with Gudeg Yogyakarta, Gudeg Solo is more soupy and rich with thick coconut milk, while gudeg Yogya is dryer and have reddish color from the addition of teak leaf.

 Nasi Timlo

Culture

Surakarta together with Yogyakarta is well known as the cultural heartland of Java. As the centre of surviving Javanese court (kraton), Surakarta is famous for its refined, highly polished aesthetic, and sophisticated Javanese art. The Kraton served as an important center dedicated for the preservation of Javanese culture. Several important traditional Javanese ceremonies such as Satu Suro and Sekaten rituals were observed in high importance among its people. The Sunan (king) of Surakarta, although today no longer holds official actual political power, is still revered and holds important position as cultural symbol among Javanese people.

Local dialect

The mother tongue of Surakartans is a local variety of Javanese that differs in some respects from that of other areas. For example, for Surakatans the Javanese word for "cold" is adem, but in Semarang it is atis. The Javanese language of Surakarta and Yogyakarta is used as the standard for all Javanese speakers throughout the nation. Indonesia's official national language is Indonesian.

Dances

As the center of Javanese courtly culture, Surakarta is the center of royal Javanese dances. Several Surakarta dances are characterized with its slow, constrained and refined movements, as the epitome of gracefulness; such as bedhaya, serimpi, and Surakarta style Wayang wong. Wayang wong is routinely performed in a wayang wong theatre in Sriwedari park.

Batik

Main article: Batik

The batik of Solo (Surakarta) is known as among the oldest batik tradition in Java. The typical style of Solo batik is its sogan (dark yellow) color, in contrast with Yogyakarta batik has whitish background. The main production centers of traditional Solo batik is in Kauman area and Laweyan, and Pasar Klewer is the main batik market in the city.

 Batik Solo Carnival

Surakarta in popular culture

In popular culture of Indonesia, the term Putri Solo (Solo Princess) is a well known idiom to describe the extraordinary beauty and grace of the Surakarta ladies. It is also popularly known among Indonesian ethnicities that the people of Solo are known for their politeness, well behave, refined, careful and often speak very softly. The Solo Batik Carnival held annually, is the event that showcased Surakarta as the center of Javanese batik art as well as the center of creative fashion industry based upon batik.