Solo Surakata Tourism Travel Guide

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Solo/Surakarta Tourism Travel Guide and Tourist Information.

Surakarta is also known by the name as Solo or Sala, Surakarta is used in formal and official contexts. Located in Central Java Province, lying across in fertile plain terrain along the longest river in Java, Bengawan or River Solo. Flanked by mountain volcanoes Merapi and Merbabu in the north, and mount Lawu in the southeast border, is famous as a stronghold and center of Javanese culture and tradition. Solo is the cradle of Javanese culture, with Two Royal Houses in one single city: the Kraton of Solo and the Mangkunegaran, a principality. Descendants of these two royal houses are still considered leaders of Javanese culture and traditions. Majestic ceremonies and royal festivals are still held with great affectation nowadays.

Solo occupies 44.03 square kilometres of surface area. Its history dates back to 1745 when Kartasura Palace of Mataram Kingdom was moved by the King, Susuhunan Pakubuwono II after being destroyed after a riot. The entire court was relocated in a great procession to a new site namely Sala Village, a village located in the banks of Bengawan Solo River. Afterward, this village became Surakarta Hadiningrat.

The Kingdom was then divided into Two, Surakarta Sunanate (northern court) and Yogyakarta (southern court) following Giyanti Treaty in 1755. Two years later, the decline of Mataram Kingdom continued when the northern region of Surakarta was handed over to Prince Sambernyawa (Mangkunagoro I) and Royal House of Mangkunagaran was established. It marked the success of Dutch policies known as "divide et impera" (divide and conquer) in East Indies. From then on, a highly complicated and elegant court culture was developed when both courts put great energy into the arts. Wayang and gamelan are some of performing arts still acted upon today. Keris, Javanese traditional carnivals and festivals are also among various intangible cultural heritage of Solo.

Solo also know as one of the centers of Batik in Indonesia. Batik is a traditional textile working process involving the use of wax to cover the cloth in patterns and thus control the areas affected by dying. In the traditional process, batik tulis ("written batik") hot wax is applied with incredible patience and skill with an instrument that looks like a pipe but is used like a pen. The women and girls sit circled around an often-smoky little burner that heats the wax. Many of the larger houses participate in the Batik industry, with an area set aside for a covey of from 10 to 30 women and girls, who usually come from the village. Really skilled workers are generally old, and the present level of batik production is not likely to continue in economically developing Java as alternative, less demanding activities absorb more of this cheap labor.

Solo has developed a unique identity as a favorite tourist destination in Java and Indonesia. Tourists from different parts of the globe as well as from various corners of Indonesia and foreign come here to enjoy a good time during their vacations.

Solo, Surakarta tourism travel guide and tourist information popular destination :

Taru Jurug Zoological Garden.
Taru Jurug Zoological Garden is a pleasant enough attraction for families. Many exotic creatures are housed here and their facilities are beginning to noticeably improve, with further enrichment in the form of play toys being added to their often small enclosures. Highlights include orangutans, monkeys, lions, tigers, leopards, alligators, pelicans, and brightly coloured birds, such as parrots, peacocks and toucans. Camel rides are especially popular and at busy times, queues quickly form for these. Solo Zoo is part of the Heritage City Park and is well known in the city

Mangkunegaran Palace.
Mangkunegaran Palace or Puro Mangkunegaran was built by Raden Mas Said, known as Pangeran Sambernyawa. It was built right after the assignment of the Agreement of Salatiga, March 13th, 1757. Raden Mas Said was then crowned as Pangeran Mangkunegoro I.
Mangkunegaran Palace is divided into two main building, named pendopo and dalem. The most interesting thing from the Palace is that it is made of whole teak wood.
Pendopo is a Joglo building supported by four main pillars. It is used to held the ceremonies and to perform traditional Javanese dance. Theres is a set of gamelan or traditional music instrument, called Kyai Kenyut Mesem to be played only to accompany traditional danced held certain occasions.
Therei a room called Pringgitan in Dalem building. It is a place where the royal family receives special companies like functionaries. Leather puppet sometimes is also performed in Pringgidan. Thera are some paintings by Basuki Abdullah, a famous artist from Solo. Exposed to decorate Dalem Pringgitan.
Some collection of the ancestor treasures that have aesthaetuc and historical values ar also kept in it. Thera are collections of traditional mask gathered from many places in Indonesia. Ancient lieterature from Majapahit and Mataram periods, golden ornament, and some portraits of Mangkunegoro Princess.
The Palace of Mangkunegaran also has a library called Rekso Pustoko.

Kraton Kasunanan Surakarta Hadiningrat.
Kraton Kasunanan Surakarta Hadiningrat or the Kasunanan Royal Palace is one of the main features of Solo. The Palace, with its rare architectural typology, covers a vast area, consisting of Alun-alun Lor (the North Square), Alun-alun Kidul (the South Square) and the palace itself . The royal family of Kasunananan Surakarta still lives here, and so does King Pakubuwono XIII, a descendent of the late King Pakubowono I. Some of the buildings are private residential areas for the royal family, but some have been developed and managed as tourism areas. Visitor can visit the museum that displays many interesting royal items such as weapons, clothes, tools and even horse carts that some are occasionally still used until today. The palace is highly recommended to be visited for its cultural-historical value, and its exotic architectural facades.

Bengawan Solo River.
This longest river in Java flows along the eastern edge of the town from its source in the lime stones hill of the south, near East Java border to its mouth nearby Surabaya, on the Java sea. Regretfully, the river is now shallow it is not navigable anymore. But in the past it was an important link between Solo and the north cost of East Java. It length is 600 km flowing in 2 provinces which are Central Java Province and East Java Province with the irrigation width 16.000 km2, was the biggest and the main river basin area. It rises on the slope of Mount Lawu Volcano and the southern limestone range (Sewu Mountains) and flows north, then east to discharge into the Java Sea at a point opposite Madura Island, northwest of Surabaya. In recent 30 years development of irrigation facility at the Bengawan Solo river area have reach a significant level of development. This was mark by the completed of irrigation building, which still in progress or even have been built such as reservoir, dam, dike, irrigation net, and others.

Klewer Market.
Off the west gate of Karaton's North Square, this old market selling all kinds of fabrics, predominantly batik. Other traditional fabrics are lurik (hand-woven striped cotton cloth) and tenun ikat. There are hundreds of shops jammed along narrow passageways. The visitors must be prepared to bargain. Batik cloths and garments, hand-woven fabrics, traditional and local jewelry, leather puppets, basketry, tortoise-shell accessories, trinkets, brassware and other decorative items, and all kinds of antiques are local specialties.

Kauman Batik Village.
Kauman was known as Pakauman is an old village that has typical art and culture like batik, hadrah and gamelan (Javanese traditional music instrument). With the Javanese traditional architecture (Joglo) and Dutch style houses that sometime mix together, Kauman has come out to be one of unique tourist destination in Solo.
Kauman was know as batik suppliers in Solo, especially for the Kasunanan Empire, that finally grew wider even for national market. The buildings in Kauman now still keep rooms for producing batik and showrooms. Classical motif which is produced manually characterizes batik design. Nowadays, although multi production colors batik market but the classic hand made batik is still dominating which has been through modification on his design.

Pandawa Water World.
Pandawa Water World is the one of new tourism attractions in Sukoharjo Village, Grogol sub district, Solo, Central Java, Indonesia. Pandawa Water World (PWW) has offers various water attractions both natural and artificial. Following the trend of other water attractions, Pandawa Water World do not want to miss offering something different and special, its can be seen from the way the naming of the rides, such as : Krishna Wave Pool, Gatotkaca Bungee Drop Tower, Gatotkaca Pool, Kunti Children and Toddler Pool and others unique name that derived from famous puppet in Indonesia.
Beside the the water boom it self, there is also others rides such as : Volcanic Pond (hot water pools), Water curtain, Aerated crater, Raft Slide, Racer Slide, Earth Shower, Mountain Cavern, Bungee Jumping, Body Slide, Black Hole and many more..