History of Bandung

HISTORICAL TOURISM

HISTORY OF BANDUNG CITY

In 1808, the Dutch government led by Herman Wiliam Daendels built the Postal Highway from Anyer-Panarukan and passed through Bandung. The Postal Highway had a huge impact, not only on the development of Java Island in general, but also the cities it passed through. Bandung iss one example. Initially, the Post Road was 11km north of Krapyak, the capital of Bandung Regency at the time. Daendels ordered the 6th Regent of Bandung, R,A Wiranatakusumah II to build the new capital city around the road.

Wiranatakusumah II then chose a location near a spring called Sumur Bandung. In Sunda, Sumur Bandung means wells that are paired of facing each other (from the word bendungan). The two wells are on the west bank of the Cikapundung River. One well is located at Bale Sumur Bandung or the PLN Building for the distribution of West Java and Banten, Jalan Asia Afrika. The other is under the former Miramar shopping complex, Bandung Square. In accordance with the traditional spatial concept, Regent R.A Wiranatakusumah II and a number of his people build a pavilion on the south side of Bandung Square, facing Mount Tangkuban Parahu which is s symbol of the historical beliefs of the Sundanese people. The Great Mosque of Bandung (now Bandung Grand Mosque) was built on the west side of the square, and the market was located on the east side.

R.A. Wiranatakusumah IV's Reign

During the reign of Regent R.A. Wiranatakusumah IV, the capital of the Priangan Residency was moved from Cianjur to Bandung. This decision was based on Besluit Number 18, dated 17 August 1864. Following this move, the Priangan Resident House—located on Residentsweg (formerly Jalan Pasar Baru, now Jalan Otto Iskandar Dinata)—was built in 1867. At the same time, the Priangan Resident Office was established on the east side of the Post Road Hotel, which later became the Savoy Homann Hotel.

Subsequently, on 1 April 1906, Governor General J.B. van Heutsz decreed that the status of Bandung be upgraded to a City Government (Gemeente). Since then, the City of Bandung has been officially separated from the Bandung Regency, although the capital of the Bandung Regency remains located within the city.

History of Ethnic Chinese in Bandung City

The history of the Chinese in Indonesia began when they first arrived through the Cheng Hoo expedition between 1405 and 1433, which successfully opened the silk and ceramic trade routes. Following this period, the Chinese started to settle and establish Chinatowns across Java Island.

Later on, during the Diponegoro War in 1825, a significant wave of Chinese migrants moved to Bandung. Initially, most of them settled on Jalan Suniaraja and Jalan Pecinan Lama. In those areas, they established their livelihoods and communities until they eventually expanded further toward Jalan Kelenteng by 1885. Finally, the development of the first Chinatown on Jalan Kelenteng was officially marked by the construction of Vihara Setya Budhi.

Situation After Bandung Lautan Api

Bandung’s Chinatown began to flourish in 1905 when the Chinese community started trading at Pasar Baru. Among the prominent figures, Tan Suoe How was one of the pioneers who established a shop at Pasar Baru in 1901, notably opening the renowned traditional medicine shop, Babah Kuya. During this era, every Chinatown was led by a Wijkmeester. For instance, Thung Pek Koey led the Suniaraja area, while Tan Nyim Coy headed Citepus. Meanwhile, the broader Bandung area was led by Lieutenant Tan Djoen Liong. Interestingly, some of these leaders’ names are still immortalized today as regional names, such as Goan Ann and Jap Lun in the Andir District.

However, a turning point occurred during the Bandung Lautan Api incident in 1946, when the stalls in Pasar Baru were tragically burnt down. At that time, Bandung was physically divided into north and south by a railway line stretching from Cimahi to Kiaracondong. As a result of this conflict, the north was controlled by the Dutch, while the south remained under the control of natives and foreigners. Consequently, the Chinese community was displaced to areas such as Tegalega, Kosambi, Sudirman, and Cimindi. Gradually, after a long period of separation, the Chinese and native communities eventually reunited. Today, this harmonious portrait between the two communities remains firmly established in Indonesia, especially within the city of Bandung.

History of 0 KM Bandung City

The zero kilometre point of Bandung is located at Jl. Asia Africa or right in front of the West Java Provincial Bina Marga Office. The zero kilometre point is amilestone in the history of Bandung. It is said that in 1810, the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies Herman Willem Daendels, together with Regent Wiranatakusumah II, visited the forest through which the Grote Postweg or Jalan Raya Pos route passed. Daendels stuck his stick and said “Zorg, data ls ik terug kom hier een staad is gebouwd”, which mean “Try, if I return here, in this area a decree has been built” which contains an order to move the centre of the district city government to the area where Daendels stuck his stick.

The date of the decree marked the birth of Bandung, and the place where Daendels’s cane was planted became the starting point of the city’s development, now known as Bandung’s zero kilometre point. The zero kilometre monument and the Stoomwals monument are dedicated to the thousands of West Javanese who were victims of force labour during the construction of the Jalan Raya Pos. The zero kilometre monument also replicas of the faces of Daendels, Regent Wiranatakusumah, Soekarno, and the Governor of West Java in 1945, Mas Soetardjo Kertohadikusumo.