Semarang City
Semarang is capital city of Central Java Province,
Indonesia. Semarang lay on the north coast of the island of
Java, Indonesia. It is the capital of the province of
Central Java. It has an area of 373.67 km˛ and approximately
1.5 million people making it the Indonesia's fifth largest
city. Semarang is located at 6°58′S, 110°25′E. A major port
during the Dutch colonial era, and still an important port
today, the city is known in Indonesia for its large
ethnically Chinese population. The name of the city,
Semarang, may have originated from the concatenation of the
words "asem" (tamarind) and "arang" (rare). Another version
is that Semarang is originated from Chinese word Sam Po Lang
(San Bao Loong), meaning the city of Sam Po (Admiral Zheng
He).
History
Semarang's history dates back to the ninth century, when it
was known as Bergota. By the end of fifteenth century, an
Javanese Islamic missionary from nearby Sultanate of Demak
with the name of Kyai Pandan Arang founded a village and an
Islamic boarding school in this place. On 1 May 1547, after
consulting Sunan Kalijaga, Sultan Hadiwijaya of Pajang
declared Kyai Pandan Arang the first bupati (regent) of
Semarang, thus culturally and politically, on this day
Semarang was born.
In 1678, King Amangkurat II sharing control of Semarang to
the Dutch East India Company (VOC) as a part of a debt
payment. In 1682, the Semarang state was founded by the
Dutch colonial power. On 5 October 1705 after years of
occupations, Semarang officially became a VOC city when
Susuhunan Pakubuwono I made a deal to give extensive trade
rights to the VOC in exchange of wiping out Mataram's debt.
VOC and later the Dutch East Indies government established
tobacco plantations in the region, and built roads and
railroads, making Semarang an important colonial trading
centre.
Beginning in the 1920s the city became a center of leftist
and nationalist activism. Particularly with the founding in
the city of the Communist Party of Indonesia, Semarang
became known as the "Red City". The Japanese military
occupied the city, along with the rest of Java, in 1942
during Pacific War of World War II. During that time,
Semarang was headed by a military governor (Shiko) from
Japan and two vice governors (Fuku Shiko), one from Japan
and one from the local population. After Indonesian
independence in 1945, Semarang became the capital of Central
Java province.
Administration
The city of Semarang divided into 16 districts (kecamatan)
and 177 sub-districts of (kelurahan). The 16 districts are:
West Semarang, East Semarang, Central Semarang, North
Semarang, South Semarang, Candisari, Gajahmungkur, Gayamsari,
Pedurungan, Genuk, Tembalang, Banyumanik, Gunungpati, Mijen,
Ngaliyan, and Tugu.
A Bupati used to be the head of government in Semarang until
1906. After 1906, the city of Semarang was headed by a Mayor
(Walikota).
The list of Mayor of Semarang after Indonesian independence:
Moch. lchsan
Koesoebiyono (1949 - 1 July 1951)
RM Hadisoebeno Sosrowardoyo (1 July 1951 - 1 Janu 1958)
Abdulmadjid Djojoadiningrat (7 January 1958 - 1 January
1960)
RM Soebagyono Tjondrokoesoemo (1 January 1961 - 26 April
1964)
Wuryanto (25 April 1964 - 1 September 1966)
Soeparno (1 September 1966 - 6 March 1967)
R. Warsito Soegiarto (6 March 1967 - 2 January 1973)
Hadijanto (2 January 1973 - 15 January 1980)
Imam Soeparto Tjakrajoeda (15 January 1980 - 19 January
1990)
Soetrisno Suharto (19 January 1990 - 19 January 2000)
Sukawi Sutarip (19 January 2000 - present)
Geography
Semarang is located on the northern coast of Java. The
northern part of the city is built on the coastal plain
while the southern parts, known as Candi Lama and Candi Baru,
are on higher ground. Two rivers run through the city, one
on the east side and one through the west side, essentially
dividing the city into thirds.
Culture
The population of Semarang is predominantly Javanese, though
with smaller numbers of people from many regions in
Indonesia. The city is known for its large ethnically
Chinese population. The main languages spoken are Indonesian
and Javanese.
Education
Semarang is home to several notable universities and high
schools. A notable state-owned university at Semarang is
Diponegoro University. Other notable and prestigious
universities are Soegijapranata Catholic University and
Universitas 17 Agustus University. Among the other schools
is Karangturi, a national private school which has
facilities for children in Kindergarten through senior high
school. Karangturi is known for having a high proportion of
Chinese-Indonesian students.The other school ,is Loyola , a
catholic school, and Sedes Sapiaentiae.For Middle School ,it
was SMP. Domenico Savio has a famous predicate.
Temples and monuments
Blenduk ChurchAs a Dutch-colonial heritage, the city prouds
of many Chinese temples. These include Sam Po Kong (Gedung
Batu), built in honour of the Chinese Great Admiral Zheng He
who visited the area in 1405, and Tay Kak Sie Temple at the
side of Semarang River.
Other Chinese temple, spread in middle city such like in
Gang PinggirStreet (3 temples), Wotgandul (1 temple) , Gang
Baru ( 1 temple) and Kampong Melayu. Blenduk Church, a
1753 Protestant church built by Dutch, is located in the old
town (called "Oudstad"). Tugu Muda (Youth Monument), a
monument to heroes of Indonesia's independence struggle, is
located in front of Gedung Lawang Sewu and Semarang
Cathedral, at the end of Jalan Pemuda, one of the city's
major shopping streets.
Hospital.
Goverment has a good Hospital, Rumah Sakit Dokter Karyadi,
named after a doctor heroes that saved many people in
Semarang by detecting poisonous water that poured by Dutch
army. Also known is Telogorejo Hospital and Saint Elizabeth
Hospital, they are best hospital in Semarang.
References
Graaf, H. J. de (Hermanus Johannes), 1899-(?), "Chinese
Muslims in Java in the 15th and 16th centuries : the Malay
Annals of Semarang and Cerbon / translated and provided with
comments by H.J. de Graaf and Th.G.Th. Pigeaud; edited by
M.C. Ricklefs. Publisher: [Melbourne] : Monash University,
1984. Description: xiii, 221 p. : folded map ; 21 cm. ISBN
0867464194 : Series: Monash papers on Southeast Asia ; no.
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