Introduction

Solo has been and will probably always be known as the City of Culture. The city is of humble origin. It was a small village on the muddy banks of the Bengawan, but industrious too because of centuries of intensive trading along the river. It was selected to become the new seat of royal administration of the Mataram Sultanate in 1745, after a revolt had ruined the former court, or Keraton, of Mataram’s ruler, Susuhunan Paku Buwana II at Kartasura.

A splendid new Keraton was built at this village, and in February 1745 Susuhunan Paku Buwana II, with all his relatives, supporters and dependents moved there, in a long an impressive procession. The new center of power was subsequently named Surakarta Hadiningrat, but by most of its present-day inhabitants (and visitors) the busting city that has developed around the court is usually called Solo.

Not long after the new court was installed another revolt broke out, which rather dramatically resulted in a division of the realm (in 1755), while Mataram’s northern part remained under Susuhunan Paku Buwana II, its southern part haw handed over to his rebellious uncle, Sultan Hamengku Buwana I, who subsequently established his court at Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat.

The peace twenty regulating this division of power is known as Perjanjian Giyanti (Treaty of Giyanti). The fight for power in Mataram, however, hadn’t finished yet. A third period of violence broke out that lasted several years, in which a rebellious young prince, Pangeran Sambernyawa, disputed the reign of the court in Solo as well as the one in Yogya. Peace in the region was finally achieved in 1757, but at a cost: yet another part of the once glorious Mataram realm was handed over to prince Sambernyawa, who, as Mangkunegara I, built his seats of power in the northern part of Solo.

From then on a relatively peaceful period set in, with space and opportunities for the courts as well as the cities developing around then to expand further. Perhaps more importantly a period of cultural renaissance took place of unknown proportions, resulting in the development of a highly refined court culture and great sophistication.

Those wayang (traditional forms of puppetry) and gamelan (classical music) became more fully embellished, developing into cultural forms that until this day are highly valued, studied and performed. Other examples of outstanding artistic traditions are keris (traditional dagger) and batik, the ‘fabled cloth’ that is worn by kings and commoners alike. Completing the rich palet of Solo’s ‘intangible’ cultural heritage are various regular procession, religious as well as secular ones, music and dance performances, rituals, and art festivals.

The city has always remained faithful to its trading activities, resulting in the establishment of several markets and the building of an elegant colonial structure, as for instance Pasar Gedhe (main market). Not only colonialism, immigration too has made its marks. Many fine examples of colonial, Islamic, Chinese and mixed Javanese-European building style can be seen around the city.

Solo is one of the Indonesian cities from the early 20^th century laid out according to a modern city-plan: there is al railway line going straight through its center, with a shady, spacious boulevard (now Jalan Slamet Riyadi) alongside it. There are several city parts and other public spaces, and a number of modern infrastructure, such as train stations, bridges, dams, canals, – the latter to face the yearly hazards or Bengawan’s flooding.

The city accommodates various ethnic and social groups, some of which used to live together in typical, distinct areas. These include the Chinese neighborhoods, such as around Pasar Gedhe and Kampung Balong, Kauman, Kemlayan and Laweyan, the latter being an influential center of batik-production with a very attractive and artful architecture throughout its surroundings.

The pinnacle of Javanese culture, on other hand, is found in and around the courts. A distinct area surrounding the Keraton, known as Baluwarti, houses many fine examples of Javanese architecture, there is of course the Keraton itself, and, north of the railway line dissecting the city the magnificently built Mangkunegaran.

The multi-layered history of the city has resulted in mixed architectural styles that combine Islamic, Chinese, European and indigenous Javanese elements, it has also given rise to its sobriquet, or nickname ‘City of Culture’. It distinct historic and cultural background was officially recognized when it was selected as the first and so far only Indonesian city to become a member of the Organization of World Heritage Cities’ – in the Euro-Asian Regional.

Keris, batik, wayang and gamelan are each examples of works or art that have developed as a result of the efforts of many generations of master craftsmen and women, and long processes of creation. To establish their final form it took time, expertise, and precision as well as the development of (local) technologies and individual artist’s skills.