Surakarta, also called Solo or Sala, is a
city in Central Java, Indonesia of more than
520,061 people (2009) and density of
11,811.5 people/km2. This 44 km2 city
bordering Karanganyar Regency and Boyolali
Regency to the north, Karanganyar Regency
and Sukoharjo Regency to the east and west,
and Sukoharjo Regency to the south. On the
eastern side of Solo lies Bengawan Solo
River. The city is the seat of Surakarta
Sunanate kraton (palace/court). Alongside
with Yogyakarta, Surakarta is the heir of
Mataram Kingdom that was split into two
kingdoms in 1755.
Name
Surakarta is also widely known by the name
"Solo". "Surakarta" is used in formal and
official contexts. The city has a similar
name with the neighboring district of
"Kartasura", where the previous capital of
Mataram was located. The variant spelling
"Soerakarta" reflects the Dutch orthography
in use before the 1948 spelling reform.
History
Its ruling family lay claim to being the
heirs to the Mataram dynasty. Like
Yogyakarta, Solo has two royal palaces.
Foundation of the dynasty
A series of wars and clashes between the
Adipati (dukes) followed the death of the
last Sultan of Demak Bintoro, the first
Islamic kingdom in Java. One of these was
Jaka Tingkir, son-in-law of the late sultan.
After defeating the last opponent duke of
Jipang-Panola, Jaka Tingkir, aka Sultan
Hadiwijaya, he claimed the throne and moved
the capital to the city of Pajang, located
about 8 miles from the present-day
Surakarta. His adopted son, Sutawijaya,
formed a conspiracy and killed him with the
help of an assassin. Then, he ascended the
throne and once again, moved the capital to
Mataram in the present-day province of
Jogjakarta, and a new dynasty was founded.
Pakubuwono II
Up until 1744, Solo was little more than a
quiet backwater village, 10 km east of
Kartasura, the contemporary capital of the
Mataram kingdom. But in that year the
Mataram susuhunan (king), Pakubuwono II,
backed the Chinese against the Dutch, and
the court at Kartasura was sacked as a
result. Pakubuwono II searched for a more
auspicious spot to rebuild his capital, and
in 1745 the entire court was dismantled and
transported in a great procession to
Surakarta, on the banks of the Kali (River)
Solo. February 18, 1745 is regarded as the
official birthday of the city. It was said
that the place he chose to be the new palace
was situated on a small lake. The "babad" or
official record of court historians still
mentions that the lake was drained by the
favor of the mythical queen of the southern
sea, Nyi Roro Kidul.
However, the decline continued, and in 1757,
after the kingdom of Mataram was divided
into the Surakarta Sultanate (northern
court) and the Jogjakarta Sultanate
(southern court), another rival royal house
of Mangkunegoro was established by Raden Mas
Said aka Pangeran Samber Nyowo (The Slayer
Prince) right in the centre of Solo. It
marked the success of Dutch policies in East
Indies, which were known as "divide et
impera" (divide and conquer). Mataram held
so much power in Java, yet it submitted to
the Dutch. Thereafter, Solo's royal houses
wisely avoided fighting and instead threw
their energies into the arts, developing a
highly sophisticated and graceful court
culture. The gamelan pavilions became the
new theaters of war, with each city
competing to produce the more refined court
culture. Wayang Kulit and Wayang Wong are
some theatrical arts still performed today.
The Palace contains a notable museum, which
used to house a female chastity belt until
it was stolen by thieves.
Pakubuwono X
Perhaps the most significant ruler of the
20th century, was Pakubuwono X. His
relationship with the Dutch, and his large
family, and his popularity contributed to
perhaps the largest funeral procession that
ever occurred in Solo. He had contributed
large expenditure on the Royal Graveyard at
Imogiri in the main sections of the
graveyard, as well as towards the new
section that he was buried in. In the era
just prior to independence Surakarta had
European, Chinese and Arab quarters.
Struggle for Independence
After hearing the proclamation of Indonesian
Independence, both Mangkunegara VII and
Pakubuwono IX declared Surakarta a part of
Republic of Indonesia (RI). Because of this
support, President Soekarno declared
Surakarta as Daerah Istimewa Surakarta
(DIS)/"Surakarta Special Region".
In October 1945, an anti-"swapraja"
(anti-feudalism/anti-monarchy) movement was
established in Surakarta. One of the leaders
of this movement was Tan Malaka, a member of
the Indonesian Communist Party. This
organization wanted to abolish all feudal
kingdoms in Surakarta, the Surakarta special
region (DIS), and replace all regents in
Surakarta. The key debate was whether the
end of Dutch rule should bring a total
change in the government, or whether the
ancient and historic institutions, giving
the people a link to pre-colonial times,
should be retained.
October 17, 1945, KRMH Sosrodiningrat, the
vizier of Mangkunegara kingdom was kidnapped
and murdered by communists. The new vizier,
KRMT Yudonagoro and 9 other officials from
Kepatihan were also kidnapped and murdered
by the same movement in March 1946.
In 1946, the capital of Republic of
Indonesia (RI) was moved to the nearby city
of Yogyakarta.
On June 16, 1946, the DIS was abolished
replaced with regency (kabupaten) of
Surakarta. This event is commemorated as the
birthday of the city of Surakarta. This only
has administrative and not civic
significance.
On June 26, 1946, Prime Minister of
Indonesia Sutan Syahrir was kidnapped by a
rebel movement led by Major General
Soedarsono, the commander of 3rd division.
President Soekarno (more often called
Sukarno) was angry at this kidnapping and on
July 1, 1946, 14 civilian leaders of this
movement, including Tan Malaka was arrested
by Indonesian police.
On July 2, 1946, the rebel leaders were
freed from Wirogunan prison by rebel troops,
led by Maj. Gen. Soedarsono.
President Soekarno asked the local military
commander in Surakarta, Lieutenant Colonel
Soeharto (later becoming President Soeharto
[often spelled Suharto]) to arrest Major
General Soedarsono and the rebel group. Lt.
Col. Soeharto refused to follow this command
unless it was given directly by the Military
Chief of Staff, General Soedirman. President
Soekarno was angry at this rejection of his
authority to give direct commands to all
levels of the military, and called Lt. Col.
Soeharto a stubborn ("koppig") officer.
Lt. Col. Soeharto pretended that he
supported the rebellion and persuaded Maj.
Gen. Soedarsono and his group to stay at his
Head Quarters at Wiyoro, Surakarta for their
own safety. Later that night he persuaded
Maj. Gen. Soedarsono to meet President
Soekarno at his palace on the next morning.
Lt. Col. Soeharto secretly informed the
presidential guard troops about Maj. Gen.
Soedarsono plan on the next morning.
On July 3, 1946, Maj. Gen. Soedarsono and
his group was arrested by the presidential
guard troops near the palace. PM Syahrir was
released unharmed. Several months later,
Maj. Gen. Soedarsono and his group were
pardoned and released from prison.
Later this rebellion was called the "failed
July 3, 1946 coup". This event is mentioned
in President Soeharto's autobiography
published in 1988.
From 1945 to 1948, the Dutch re-occupied
various regions in Java. The remaining area
of Republic Indonesia were in Yogyakarta,
Surakarta and surrounding areas.
In December 1948, the Dutch attacked and
occupied the cities of Yogyakarta and
Surakarta. The Indonesian army led by
General Soedirman started a guerrilla war
from surrounding areas. The Dutch said that
RI was destroyed and no longer existed.
To disprove this claim, the Indonesian army
conducted large scale raids into the cities
of Jogyakarta and Surakarta called "Serangan
Oemoem". The Indonesian troops managed to
beat the Dutch troops and occupy the city
for several hours. The leader of the raid to
Yogyakarta was Lt. Col. Soeharto. The leader
of a similar raid on Surakarta on August 7,
1949 was Lt. Col. Slamet Riyadi.
To commemorate this event, the main street
on the city of Surakarta is renamed as
"Brigadier General Slamet Riyadi Street".
Independence
By 1950 Surakarta had a population of
165,484 In 1950 Surakarta, or Solo, was a
trade center for such agricultural products
as rice, rubber, corn, indigo, cassava and
sugar. It also had seen the development of
some industries. These included tanning,
textiles and machinery. Also batik making
was a common activity.
1960s troubles
From October 1965 to 1966, there was large
scale chaos in Central Java, following an
abortive coup and the subsequent killings of
1965–66.
1998 riot
In May 1998, there was a large riot in
Surakarta. It was initially triggered by
rising oil prices, with an angry mob
ransacking and setting many buildings on
fire, particularly banks and official
government buildings. But then the situation
became uncontrolled as the mob targeted
shopping centers and other commercial
buildings to be destroyed as well, before it
finally turned into a racial riot as rioters
targeted houses and business assets of the
local Indonesian-Chinese, leading to
widespread destruction in the region.
Geography
Surakarta is a lowland that lays on flat
terrain 105 m above sea level (in city
center about 95 m above sea level), with an
area of 44.1 km2 (0,14 % the area of Central
Java). It is approximately 65 km (40 miles)
northeast of Yogyakarta, and 100 km (60
miles) southeast of Semarang The eastern
part of the town is bordered by Bengawan
Solo River, the longest river on Java. The
river is the inspiration for the song
Bengawan Solo, a 1940s composition by Gesang
Martohartono which became famous throughout
much of Asia. The city's soil is fertile
because of the river and its tributaries.
The city is surrounded by Merbabu and Mount
Merapi (3,115m high) on the east, and Mount
Lawu (2806m high) on the east. Further south
lays Sewu Mountain Range.
Hydrogeology
The water source came from the valley of
Merapi, total 19 locations, with the
capacity of 3,404 l/second. The average
source water height is 800-1,200 m above sea
level. In 1890–1827 there was only 12 wells
in Surakarta. Today, underground water wells
in 23 locations produces about 45 l/second.
Until March 2006, Surakarta's state water
company (PDAM) had production capacity of
865.02 l/second: from Cokrotulung, Klaten,
27 km from Solo, 387 l/s; and from 26 deep
well, with a total capacity of 478,02
l/second. The total reservoir capacity is
9,140 m3 and can serve 55,22% of the
population.
The soil in Solo is fertile. Part of it is
because the volcanic activity of Mount
Merapi and Lawu. Combined with abundant
water source, makes the hinterland good for
planting vegetables, food and cash crops.
But since the last 20 years, the manufacture
industry and tourism is booming and the
agriculture industry is declining.
Climate
Under the Koppen climate classification,
Surakarta features a tropical monsoon
climate. The city has a lengthy wet season
spanning from October through June, and a
relatively short dry season covering the
remaining three months (July through
September). Surakarta on average sees just
under 2200 mm of rainfall annually, with its
wettest months being December January and
February. As common with many areas
featuring a tropical monsoon climate,
temperatures are relatively consistent
throughout the year. Surakarta's average
temperatures is roughly 30 degrees celsius
every month.
Borders
Surakarta is bordering with Karanganyar and
Boyolali Regency in the west and north,
Karanganyar and Sukoharjo Regency in the
east, and Sukoharjo Regency in the south. In
each of the city border stands gapura kraton
or Javanese entrance monuments that was
built on 1931-1932 during the reign of
Pakubuwono X in Kasunanan Surakarta. Each of
them serves as a border and an entry point
to the capital of Kraton Surakarta with the
neighbouring territories. The gapuras are
not only built in highways but also on the
riverside of Bengawan Solo. Bengawan Solo
used to be a port and crossing point (in
Mojo/Silir).
The gapuras waas built in two sizes, large
ones and small ones. Large gapuras was built
in major roadways. They can be seen in
Grogol (south), Kerten and Jurug (east).
Small gapuras can be seen near Dr. Oen
Hospital (north), the road to Baki in Solo
Baru (south), Makamhaji (west), and in
Mojo/Silir. Each of the large gapuras also
have a stele that contains the name of the
reigning monarch and the year that it was
built.
Administrative division
Surakarta City and its surrounding
regencies, Karanganyar, Sukowati, Wonogiri,
Sukoharjo, Klaten, Boyolali, collectively
called ex-Surakarta Residency (Dutch:
Residentie Soerakarta). After Surakarta
becomes a city, it is divided into 5
subdistricts (kecamatan), each lead by a
camat, and 51 kelurahan, each lead by a
lurah. The subdistricts of Surakarta are:
Kecamatan Pasar Kliwon (Postal code: 57110):
9 kelurahan
Kecamatan Jebres (Postal code: 57120): 11
kelurahan
Kecamatan Banjarsari (Postal code: 57130):
13 kelurahan
Kecamatan Lawiyan (also spelled Laweyan,
Postal code: 57140): 11 kelurahan
Kecamatan Serengan (Postal code: 57150): 7
kelurahan
Government
In the current Indonesian context Surakarta
is a city within the province of Central
Java. Previous to the Indonesian nation
being formed it was an autonomous kingdom
ruled by the Sunan and a principality ruled
by the Mangkunegaran.
During Dutch occupation Yogyakarta and
Surakarta were known as the Vorstenland or
principalities. Rivalry between the two has
been endemic since their founding in the
18th century and was a deliberate ploy by
the Dutch colonial powers to distract the
attention from the presence of the Dutch
colonial power.
The hereditary ruler of the kraton or main
court within the city bears the title of
Pakubuwono, the present king being
Pakubuwono XIII. Like Yogyakarta, Solo also
has a junior court, born of another civil
war: the Mangkunegaran, a small principality
inside Kasunanan, of which Mangkunegara IX
is the present monarch. Neither holds any
political power and according to Indonesian
law, both are only have civilian status.
Mayor
The current mayor of Surakarta is Joko
Widodo (nicknamed Jokowi), and his vice
mayor is F.X. Hadi Rudyatmo. The pair were
elected on 2005 and reelected on 2010 for
another five-year term. The mayor was
elected as one of the 10 person of the year
according to Tempo magazine.
Under Joko Widodo's mayorship, the city
experienced a drastical improvement. He
rebranded and promoted Solo as "The Spirit
of Java", a Javanese culture and heritage
center, batik capital, and tourist friendly
city.
Juridicially, the City of Surakarta was
formed based on Government Regulation No.
16/SD 1946, announced at July 15, 1946.
Based on several historical factors, June
16, 1946 is set as the anniversary of the
Government of Surakarta. The city
anniversary itself is celebrated every
February 16, based on the date of the moving
of the palace from Kartasura to Surakarta in
1745. In February 16, 2011 the city
celebrated its 256th anniversary.
Demography
One of the earliest census held in Surakarta
Residency (Residentie Soerakarta) was in
1885. At that time, with an area of about
5,677 km˛, there were 1,053,985 people in
Surakarta Residency, including 2.694
Europeans and 7,543 Indonesian-Chinese. The
area 130 times the current area of Surakarta
has a density of 186 people/km˛. The capital
of the residency itself (roughly the size of
the City of Solo proper) in 1880 had 124.041
people living in it.
According to 2009 census, there were 245,043
males compared to 283,159 (86.54%) in
Surakarta. Further, 119,951 of the
population were between 0-14, while 376,180
were between 15-64, and 32,071 were above
65. The number of household was 142,627 and
the average household member is 3.7. The
population growth in the last 10 year is
about 0.565 % per year.
Compared to other cities in Indonesia,
Surakarta is the most densely populated city
in Central Java, the eight most densely city
in Indonesia, the 13th smallest city in
Indonesia, and the 22nd most populous city
in Indonesia from 93 autonomous city and 5
administrative cities in Indonesia.
The labor force of Solo in 2009 was 275,546,
where 246,768 of them were already working,
while 28,778 of them were still looking for
work. Another 148,254 people aged 15 and
above were not in labor force. Based on the
number of employment, the most common work
in Solo was worker/paid employee (112,336),
followed by self-employee (56,112),
self-employee assisted by temporary employee
(32,769), unpaid employee (20,193),
self-employee assisted by permanent employee
(14,880), freelance employee in
non-agricultural work (10,241), and
freelance employee in agricultural work
(237). Based on the industry, most people in
Solo worked in trade (106,426), services
(59,780), manufacture (42,065),
communication (16,815), construction
(9,217), financing (9,157), agriculture
(2,608), and the rest work in mining,
electricity, gas, and water companies (700).
The mean working hours in Solo was 47,04
hours (47,74 for men and 46,13 for women),
and the number of people who worked more
than 35 hours per week were 212,262 compared
to 34,506 who worked less than that.
Education
According to 2009 statistic, the number of
people above 15 who have finished high
school were 242,070, while 86,890 only
finished junior high school, and 94,840 were
still in school or only finished elementary
school. The percentage of high school
graduate was the highest compared to other
cities and regencies in Central Java.
According to the statistic of Data Pokok
Pendidikan (Dapodik), in the school year of
2010/2011 there is 68.153 students and 853
schools in Surakarta. Currently there is two
state university in Surakarta: Sebelas Maret
University (UNS) and Art Institute of
Surakarta (ISI). There's also 52 other
private universities and colleges
Economy
The Domestic Bruto Income of Surakarta in
2009 was 16,813,058.62 IDR, the fourth
highest in Central Java after Kudus,
Cilacap, and Semarang. The living standard
in 2009 was 723,000 IDR. Consumer price
index in January 2011 was 119.44.
Surakarta has a lot of traditional markets
(pasar), some of them are Pasar Klewer,
Pasar Gedhe, Pasar Legi, and Pasar Kembang.
Pasar Klewer is famous as the biggest
textile market in Indonesia. Other than that
there's also antique market in Pasar
Triwindu and also Pasar Keris near the
palace of Surakarta. Every night there is
Galabo Open Food Court near the City Hall,
and every Saturday night there's also
Ngarsopuro Night Market near Slamet Riyadi
road.
The business centre in Solo is located along
the main artery road of Slamet Riyadi.
Several banks, hotels, shopping centres,
international dinings, and also tourism
destinations are located along this road.
Every Sunday morning (from 5 a.m. to 9
a.m.), this road is closed as the city
government dedicates that day as Solo Car
Free Day (SCFD) along the Slamet Riyadi Road
as a campaign to reduce carbon gas emission.
Several of the modern malls in Solo are Solo
Square, Solo Grand Mall, and Solo Paragon
(Under construction - expected to finish end
2011).
In the outskirts of the city there is
several industrial zones, such as Palur,
Grogol, and Jetis. Some of the large
corporation headquartered in Solo are Sritex
(textile industry), Indo Acidatama
(industrial chemical company) and Konimex
(pharmacy company). Batik home industry also
becomes one of Solo's speciality industry.
Public service
There are many hospitals in Solo, some with
24 hour ICU facility are PKU Muhammadiyah
Hospital, Panti Kustati Hospital, Islamic
Hospital of Surakarta, Kasih Ibu Hospital,
Dr. Moewardi Hospital, Panti Waluyo
Hospital, Brayat Minulyo Hosipital, Panti
Kosala (Dr. Oen Kandang Sapi) Hospital, and
Dr. Oen Hospital in Solo Baru. Public parks
are also numerous, especially since Joko
Widodo became mayor of Solo. He revitalized
several parks and now the public of Solo can
enjoy Balekambang Park, Sekartaji Park,
Sriwedari Park, and Jurug Zoo, one of the
oldest and biggest zoo in Indonesia. In
Sriwedari Park there's also public
entertainment such as Wayang Orang theatre
GWO Sriwedari, and night market in
Ngarsopuro, which only opens at Saturday
nights.
The area code of Solo is (+62)271. Coin or
card phone booth are rarely exist, but
there's a lot of phone shop and small stalls
selling prepaid phone credits. Internet
cafes are also abundant. Several public
places such as restaurants and cafes provide
Wi-Fi access to their customers too.
Sports
Surakarta has a long sport history and
tradition. In 1923 Solo already had a
football club, one of the earliest club in
Indonesia (at that time still Dutch Indies),
called Persis Solo. Persis Solo was a giant
club in Dutch Indies that still exist until
today, but already past its heydays. During
the Perserikatan tournament, Persis became 7
time champion. Currently it plays at
Premiere Division. Other than Persis,
several clubs have existed in Solo: Arseto,
Pelita Solo, Persijatim Solo FC, and lastly
Solo FC, that plays in Indonesian Premiere
League since 2011. Both club that still
existed today, Persis and Solo FC, made
Manahan Stadium as their home ground.
Manahan Stadium is one of the best sport
stadion in Central Java and has several time
hosted national and international matches.
Recently, this stadion with more than 25.000
sets became the venue for Asian Champion Cup
2007, final Indonesian Cup 2010, and the
opening venue for Indonesian Premiere League
in January 15, 2011.
In 1948, Solo was also became the host of
the first National Sport Week, and it's
opening date is still marked as the National
Sports Day of Indonesia. At that tournament,
Solo as Surakarta Residency came out as the
champion.
Up until 2009, Solo also became the only
city in Central Java with professional
basketball team: Bhinneka Solo. In 2009 the
team was finally merged with Stadium Jakarta
and moved to Jakarta.
Some of the sport stadium in the city are
Manahan Stadium, Sriwedari Stadium, Kota
Barat Stadium, Bengawan Sport Center and
Bhinneka Basketball Stadium, recently
renamed as Sritex Basketball and Badminton
Stadium.
Transport
Air
Adisumarmo International Airport (airport
code: SOC) has direct flights to Kuala
Lumpur by Air Asia, Singapore by Silk Air
and, during the hajj season, Saudi Arabia,
as well as regular flights to Jakarta by
Garuda Indonesia, Sriwijaya Air, Lion Air
and Batavia Air. And since April 2011 there
are two new routes: SOC-BDO (Bandung) and
SOC-SUB (Surabaya), operated by Sky
Aviation. The Airport is located 14
kilometres north of the city. Since May
2011, BST (Batik Solo Trans) buses are
connecting the airport to the city. The
other alternative is using taxi cab service.
In 2009 Adisumarmo have 2.060 outbound
domestic planes and 616 outbound
international planes.
Train
Surakarta has four train stations, i.e. Solo
Balapan, Purwosari, Solo Jebres, and Solo
Kota (Sangkrah). Solo Balapan is the largest
station in Surakarta, and is the junction
between Yogyakarta (westward), Semarang
(northward), and Surabaya (eastward), while
Purwosari is the junction located west of
Solo Balapan, and has connection to Wonogiri
(southward). There are several direct lines
to other cities, such as to Jakarta,
Bandung, Surabaya, Semarang, Madiun and
Malang. As for regional traffic, there is a
special train connecting Surakarta and
Yogyakarta, namely Prameks train.
Surakarta is unique because it is the only
Indonesian city to remain having
street-parallel railtrack between Purwosari
and Solo Kota, along Jalan Slamet Riyadi,
Solo's main road. A heritage railway, called
Jaladara, also operates between the two
stations. Historically, Purwosari had the
junction to Boyolali (westward).
Road
Tirtonadi Terminal is the largest bus
terminal in Surakarta. Surakarta is situated
in Indonesian National Route 15, which
connects it to Yogyakarta and Waru
(Sidoarjo). Currently, Semarang-Solo Toll
Road is under construction. The length of
road in 2009 is 705.34 km: 13.15 km state
road, 16,33 km province road, and 675,86 km
local road. The number of bus company in
2009 is 23, and the total number of bus
operating is 1.115 intra province busses and
1.107 inter province busses.
In 2010, Surakarta government launched a new
bus route named Batik Solo Trans (BST),
which resembles TransJakarta bus rapid
transit service. It has only two routes,
namely Departure Route (Adisumarmo
Airport-Kartasura-Palur) and Return Route
(Palur-Kartasura-Adisumarmo Airport). A
single trip costs Rp.3000, while for
students only Rp.1500. Especially for the
trip from or to the Airport costs Rp.7000.
Tourism
The main tourist attraction of Surakarta is
Keraton Surakarta, the palace of Susuhunan
Pakubuwono, also the Princely Javanese court
of Mangkunegaran. Pasar Gede is often
visited by tourists, mostly for it's unique
architecture and famous as the biggest
traditional market in the Solo area. The
Pasar Klewer is famous for its batiks ranged
from all prices and qualities, while the
Pasar Triwindhu located near Mangkunegaran
palace specializes in antiques. Taman
Sriwedari is a popular local entertainment
park featuring children playground, dangdut
music performance, and Wayang Wong
traditional Javanese dance performance
almost everynight. Near the park is
Radyapustaka Museum, one of the oldest
museum in Indonesia, with collection of
Javanese culture artifacts.
The traditional batik village of Laweyan and
Kampung Batik Kauman are famous for
producing fine quality Javanese batik
located on southwest part of the city
(Laweyan) and City Centre (Kauman).
Surakarta is located 60 kilometres from
Yogyakarta and shares many of the tourism
spots. Candi Borobudur, Candi Prambanan,
Candi Ratu Boko, Candi Kalasan, and many
other "Candi" or ancient temples are the
historical tourism spots. Surakarta is
located much closer to Candi Cetho and Candi
Sukuh on the slopes of Mount Lawu. The
mountainous area of Tawangmangu featuring
Grojogan Sewu waterfall on the slope of
mount Lawu also popular destination for
tourist during their stay in Surakarta.
Accommodations are widely available, from
small lodgings to international chain
hotels.
Cuisine
Food associated with Surakarta includes Nasi
Liwet, Nasi Timlo, Serabi, Intip, Roti
Mandarin, and Bakpia Balong.
Culture
Local dialect
The mother tongue of Surakartans is a local
variety Javanese, which differs in some
aspects from other areas speaking Javanese.
For example, for Surakatans the Javanese
word for "cold" is adem, but in Semarang it
is atis. The Javanese language of Surakarta
and Yogyakarta is used as the standard for
all Javanese speakers throughout the nation.
Indonesia's official national language
