Bandung tourist information

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 Austropithecus or Java Man, living in the banks of Cikapunding river and around the old lake of Bandung. During the 17th-18th centuries, the Dutch East Indies company (VOC), made small plantation area in the fertile and properous Bandung area. A supply road connecting Batavia (now Jakarta]), Bogor, Cianjur, Bandung, Sumedang and Cirebon was built in 1786.

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 British from the Malaysian peninsula. Daendels built a road, stretching about 1000km from the west coast to the east cost of Java. Since the northern part of West Java at that time was only swamp and marsh, the road was diverted through Bandung. The Great Postweg (now Jalan Asia-Afrika) was laid down in 1810.

There is a story when Daendels was walking along the edge of Cikapundung river. He was amazed by the site where he stood and then he put a stick at the edge of Cikapundung, and said: "Zorg, dat als ik terug kom hier een stad is gebouwd!" ('Attention! If I come again here, a city must be built!!'). 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. It gave a high boost of light industry in Bandung. Chinese who had never lived in that area before flocked in to help run the facilities, services and vendor machines. Small 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 staadsgemeente (city municipality) in 1926.

Having location in a lowland, surrounded by a ring of mountains, Bandung is strategically advantageous for military defense. In 1930s, Dutch East Indies government had planned to move the capital from Batavia to Bandung. R.A. Wiranatakusumah II, the chief administration of 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. 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 19th century, cinchona (kina) plants was introduced by Franz Junghuhn. 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 Europen resort style with hotels, cafes and shops. Rich plantation owners came during the weekends and so do girls and bussinessmen from the capital, Batavia. The promenade Braga street has grown into an elite 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 ball room and a theather. The title of "Parijs van Java" has been given to this city.

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. 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. 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. 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.

The main gateway to the city is by road transport. An intercity highway, named as Cipularang toll road, connecting Jakarta, Karawang, 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.

The Pasopati bridge is recently open for public, relieving traffic jams in the city to go from the east to the west side and vice versa. The 2.8 km suspension bridge lies through the valley of Cikapundung. It has 30 to 60 metres wide and after so much delay, its construction finally completed in June 2005, after financial investment from Kuwait.

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There is no rapid mass transit system in Bandung. The primary means of public transportation is by a minibus, called angkot (from angkutan=transportation and kota=city). It serves certain routes throughout the city and are operated privately. There is no way to find exact angkot routes, except by asking to 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: Leuwigajah, 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 destinations, such as 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.

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