History of Daendels' Road

The Great Post Road (Indonesian: Jalan Raya Pos or Dutch: De Grote Postweg), is the name for the historical road that runs across Java that connects Anyer and Panarukan. It was built during the reign of governor-general of the Dutch East Indies Herman Willem Daendels (1808–1811).

Java Great Post Road, span from Anjer (Anyer) to Panaroecan (Panarukan).

La Grande Route, as Daendels called it, was a military road which was laid down under the order of King Lodewijk Napoleon who ruled the Kingdom of Holland at that time. France was at war with England and the road was intended to ease military support, transfer of soldiers, in order to defend Java. Before the road was constructed, connections existed between Batavia — Semarang and between Semarang — Surabaya in 1750. North-south connection between Semarang, Surakarta and Yogyakarta was also available at that time. However, these connection paths were not easily passable as heavy tropical rainfall frequently destroyed them.

Daendels faced difficult conditions in Dutch East Indies when he was starting the road construction. The financial situation in the colony was so tight that the minister of Colonial Affairs in The Hague sent him a letter emphasizing the difficult financial situation and the need to reduce expenditures. English was surely a big threat, there were uprisings in Bantam and Cirebon, and some of Daendels opponents, who were alienated from him, took a negative side against him. Daendels then decided to use Javanese unpaid forced laborers to perform most of the heavy work, which resulted in thousands of deaths due to the difficult health challenges of the forests and marshes as well as the labor conditions.

Many of Daendels' opponents became historical sources of the harsh condition during the road construction. Major William Thorn wrote that about 12,000 natives have perished during the construction. Nicolaus Engelhard, who was a governor over most of Java and who had to give up his position to Daendels, stated that 500 workers had died in Megamendung area nearby Buitenzorg (the present-day of Bogor), excluding the number of people who died as the result of illness. Furthermore Engelhard criticized Daendels of the thousand of casualties resulting from the road construction in the woods of Weleri in Pekalongan region.

Today the Java Great Post Road consist the most parts of present Java North Coast Road (Indonesian: Jalan Pantura, abbreviation from "Pantai Utara"). However the original post road is runs through Preanger (Priangan, West Java) highland, from Meester Cornelis (Jatinegara) went south to Buitenzorg (Bogor), and went east to Cianjur, Bandung, Sumedang, and Cirebon. The current north coast road runs through coastal northern West Java which built later after the construction of Daendels' post road. It connects Bekasi, Karawang, Pamanukan, and Cirebon.The road originally ran from Anyer, present day Banten, but formerly West Java to Panarukan, East Java, but later was extended to Banyuwangi. In its current form the Java main road extends through five provinces: Banten, DKI Jakarta, West Java, Central Java and East Java.

The Great Post Road runs through Bandung in 1938 (today Jalan Asia-Afrika)
The road initially served as the backbone of Java's transportation and logistic. It connects some of the largest cities in Java, including Anyer, Cilegon, Tangerang, Batavia, Meester Cornelis (today absorbed into Jakarta), Buitenzorg, Cianjur, Bandung, Sumedang, Cirebon, Tegal, Pekalongan, Semarang, Rembang, Tuban, Surabaya, Pasuruan, Probolinggo and Panarukan.

source: Wikipedia

History of Bekasi's Catfish Statue

Bekasi used to have an iconic statue called “Patung Lele and Kecapi” which was put strategic in intersection of Bekasi station, Bekasi biggest mosque, and Public Hospital of Bekasi. This statue was built under development of regent Moch. Djamhari, 1995. Catfish and Kecapi are two resources that known properly in this city.  In addition of an icon, this statue used to be use as an easy direction for strangers who didn’t know much about Bekasi station and another public places in Bekasi.

Unfortunately, the statue itself only stood for at least seven years. Bekasi citizens didn’t really agree about the catfish and kecapi as an icon. As we know, catfish formerly known as greedy fish yet cheap. So was kecapi. The citizens won’t feel their city as a cheap one.

The people frequently asked for the statue destruction but the government was like never really wanna hear the rumor. Getting disappointed of refusal, finally the citizens destructed it after morning ceremony in April 24th, 2002. Until right now, Bekasi was having no more icon. Now the catfish transform into a big clock.

History of the Name of Jakarta

Jakarta started out as a small port on the estuary of Ciliwung River around 500 years ago. As the centuries passed the port city grew into a buzzing international trade center. Early knowledge on Jakarta has been uncovered, though in bits and pieces, through the many stone tablets that had been discovered in and around the port. Information on Jakarta up until the arrival of European explorers is few at best.

Accounts of 16th century European writers make mention of a city called Kalapa, which apparently served as the primary port of a Hindu kingdom called Sunda, which had its capital at Pajajaran, and was situated approximately 40 kilometers inland, nearby where Bogor nowadays is. The Portuguese where the first large European party to have had made it to the port of Kalapa. The city was later besieged by a young man named Fatahillah, who hailed from a kingdom nearby Kalapa. Fatahillah renamed Sunda Kalapa Jayakarta on 22 June 1527. It’s this date that is commemorated as Jakarta’s anniversary. The Dutch arrived by the end of the 16th Century and took control over Jayakarta.

Jayakarta was subsequently renamed Batavia. Batavia’s swampy environment was similar to that of the Netherlands, their homeland. They proceeded to build canals in order to protect Batavia against potential floods. The city’s civic center was situated at a field located about 500 meters away from the port. The Dutch built a graceful city hall as Batavia’s seat of government. As time went by, the city of Batavia grew towards the south. Rapid growth brought about accelerated environmental degradation, which forced the Dutch rulers to relocate their governance activities to higher grounds. This area was named Weltevreden. University students in Batavia promoted Indonesian nationalism at the start of the 20th century.

A historical decision came to be in 1928, namely the Youth Pledge, which set forth three ideals, namely one motherland, one nation, and one language of unity: Indonesia. During Japanese occupation (1942-1945), Batavia was renamed Jakarta. On 17 August 1945, Ir. Soekarno proclaimed Indonesia’s independence and Indonesia’s Heirloom and Venerated Bicolor was hoisted for the very first time.Indonesia’s sovereignty was officially acknowledged in 1949. On that very year, Indonesia also became a member of the United Nations (UN). In 1966, Jakarta was granted its official title of Capital of the Republic of Indonesia. It promoted the rate of development of government office buildings and embassies of friendly countries. Rapid development created the need for a master plan in order to regulate Jakarta’s growth. Since 1966, Jakarta has steadily grown into a modern metropolis. Cultural wealth along with dynamic growth had key contributions towards Jakarta’s transformation into a noted metropolis in the 21st century.

• Was named Sunda Kelapa in the 14th century and was, at the time, a port of the Pajajaran Kingdom.
• Was renamed Jayakarta on 22 June 1527 by Fatahillah (this date has been set as Jakarta’s anniversary by virtue of temporary city council decree No. 6/D/K/1956).
• Had for the very first time, under Dutch rule, a city government called Stad Batavia on 4 March 1621.
• Was renamed ‘Gemeente Batavia’ on 1 April 1905.
• Was renamed Stad Gemeente Batavia on 8 January 1935.
• Was renamed, by the Japanese, Jakarta Toko Betsu Shi on 8 August 1942.
• The Jakarta city government was named the National Government of Jakarta City in September 1945.
• Was renamed Stad Gemeente Batavia on 20 February 1950 during the Pre-federal Government period.
• Was renamed Kota Praj’a Jakarta on 24 March 1950.
• Jakarta, as an autonomous region, was renamed Municipality of Greater Djakarta on 18 January 1958.
• Government of the Greater Jakarta Capital City Government was formed by virtue of Government Regulation No. 2 of 1961 in conjunction with Law No. 2 PNPS 1961.
• On 31 August 1964, Greater Jakarta Capital City was declared, by virtue of Law No. 10 of 1964, to remain the State Capital of the Republic of Indonesia by the name of Jakarta.
• In 1999, by virtue of Law No. 34 of 1999 concerning Jakarta Capital City Government as capital of the Republic of Indonesia, the nomenclature ‘regional government’ was changed into Jakarta Capital City Government, with autonomy remaining at province level as opposed to the city, and Jakarta Capital City Government was divided into six parts (5 municipalities and the Thousand Islands district).

source: Jakarta's government's site