User:The man from Gianyar/History of Bandung

The history of the city of Bandung officially began during the rule of the Dutch colonial government, in the 19th century. The city was founded by the 6th Regent of Bandung, Wiranatakusumah II. However, the process of its establishment was accelerated by the order of the 36th Governor General of the Dutch East Indies, Herman Willem Daendels, with a decree on 25 September 1810.

In 1880, the first major railroad between Batavia and Bandung was completed, boosting light industry in Bandung. Chinese living in the colony began flocking into the city to help run facilities, services and as vendors. By the early 20th century the city was granted the status of a municipality (gemeente) in 1906. Bandung gradually developed into a resort city for plantation owners in the early 20th century, with the rise of street cafés, restaurants, boutique shops, and art-deco style hotels.

After Indonesia declared independence in 1945, Bandung was designated as the capital of the newly created West Java province. During the Indonesian National Revolution, some of the most massive battles occurred in and around Bandung. Since the end of the revolution and the beginning of the new Indonesian state, the city has experienced ongoing development and urbanization, transforming from an idyllic town into a dense metropolitan area.

Pre-human settlement
In the Tertiary Age of the Oligocene (c. 27 million years ago), the island of Java was still part of the shallow sea that extends from what is today Rajamandala, Cipatat, West Bandung to Palabuhanratu. Evidence of this is the discovery of ancient coral reefs in the limestone hills of the Citatah karst area, Rajamandala. The process of lifting the earth's crust over millions of years forms folds, faults, and cracks, occurred at the Pangalengan point. The uplifted limestone hills also underwent a process of dissolution and karstification, resulting in the formation of waterways that continued to expand into underground rivers and caves, including Sanghyang Poek Cave, Bancana Cave and Pawon Cave. About four million years ago (during the Pliocene age), volcanic activity occurred in the south of Cimahi. In that place appeared several mountains such as Mount Lagadar, Mount Selacau, Mount Lalakon, Mount Paseban, Mount Lion, Mount Pasir Pancir and others.

Over time, volcanic activity shifted to the north. In the Late Pleistocene period (about 500,000 years ago), the ancient Sunda Mountain in the northern part of Bandung now erupted many times, thus collapsing its body and forming the Sunda Caldera which is lined with hills in North and East Bandung. This natural formation is the forerunner of the present Bandung Basin area. At the same time, the Lembang Fault occurred which extended from the west (Cisarua, Lembang) to the east (Mount Manglayang). Around 125,000 years ago, Mount Tangkuban Perahu erupted many times. The eruption material partially filled the Lembang Fault, and partially dammed the ancient Citarum river in the north of Padalarang. The site would eventually become the Ancient Bandung Lake, which stretches from Cicalengka in the east to Padalarang in the west and from Bukit Dago in the north to Soreang in the south.

Ancient history


The oldest written historical references to the Priangan region dates back to circa 14th century was found in Cikapundung inscription, where the region was one of the settlement within the Kingdom of Pajajaran. The Priangan region has been home for early human since prehistoric era, at least since 9,500 years before present. There have been some earlier prehistoric archaeological findings of early human settlements, in Pawon cave in Padalarang karst area, West of Bandung, and around the old lake of Bandung.

The ruin of Bojongmenje temple was discovered in Rancaekek area, Bandung Regency, east of Bandung city. The temple is estimated to be dated from early 7th century CE, around the same period — or even earlier, than Dieng temples of Central Java. Not far from Bojongmenje temples, the statue of Hindu god Shiva was discovered in Cibodas village, Cicalengka Subdistrict, Bandung Regency, West Java. The style of the Hindu statue estimated dated from circa 8th to 9th Century CE possibly from the Sunda Kingdom period. The artifact inventory number is 46, now is the collection of National Museum of Indonesia, Jakarta.

Dutch East India company
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Dutch East Indies company (VOC) established a small plantation area in the fertile and prosperous Bandung area. A supply road connecting Batavia (now Jakarta), Bogor, Cianjur, Bandung, Sumedang and Cirebon was built in 1786.

Establishment of Bandung


In 1809, Louis Bonaparte, then ruler of the Netherlands and its colonies due to Napoleon Bonaparte's establishment of this puppet state, ordered the Dutch Indies Governor Herman Willem Daendels to improve the defense system of Java island against the threat of the British. Daendels argued that land mobilization was more suitable for defending Java from British attacks, because the British had a superior naval force at the time. Resulting in the construction of a 1000 km road joining the west and east coasts of Java. Since the northern part of West Java at that time was mostly swamp and marsh, the road was diverted through Bandung. The Great Post Road (now Asia-Afrika street) was laid down in 1810.

Local folklore has it that when Daendels was walking along the edge of Cikapundung River, he was amazed by a site he found. He then put a stick at the edge of the river which said: "Zorg, dat als ik terug kom hier een stad is gebouwd!" ('Make sure that when I return, a city has been built here!'). Today, the site is the geographical center of the city of Bandung. The Regent of Bandung, Wiranatakusumah II, moved the office of the Regency of Bandung from Krapyak, in the south, to a place near a pair of holy city wells (sumur Bandung), which is today the alun-alun (city square). He built his istana (palace), masjid agung (the grand mosque) and pendopo ("pavilion") in the classical orientation. The pendopo faces Tangkuban Perahu mountain, believed to have a mystical ambiance.

Growth of Bandung
The fast growth of Bandung started from the area around the Asia-Africa street, the original central business district. Also concentrated in the area is the Javanese alun-alun (public square) just to the south of the road, the former residence of the Bupati, and the great mosque. In 1850, Bandung was appointed as the Residence for the part of West Java named Pariangan, which until then settled in Cianjur. There were 12,000 inhabitants around 1850. A great factor of the growth of Bandung was because of the relocation of some Departments from Batavia to Bandung. In 1880, the first major railroad in Indonesia, linking Batavia and Bandung, was laid down. It boosted light industry in Bandung. Chinese migrants flocked in to help run the facilities, services and vendor machines. A small Chinatown district can still be recognized in the vicinity of the railroad station.

It started in 1914 with the Department of War, followed in 1921 by the Department of Roads and Transportation. In 1906, Bandung was given the status of gemeente (municipality) and then later as stadsgemeente (city municipality) in 1926. From 1906 to 1949, Bandung grew from a medium-sized town with 38,000 inhabitants to the third City in the Dutch East Indies with 590,000 inhabitants. In 1929, Bandung approved the 'Framework plan' city planning, which covered an area of 12,758 hectares, divided in plans for mainly the Northern and partly the Southern areas of the town. This plan which followed the garden city concept was successfully applied in the Northern part of the town where most of the European population lived. The north part was designed with large public spaces, spacious and green residential areas in which public and private greens are integrated. The roads were fit out with, originally, a consequent planting of trees.

Struggle for Independence
In 1945, after Indonesia declared its independence in 1945, Bandung was designated as the capital of the newly created West Java province. From October 1945, there had been several extreme Islamic groups in West Java with the main goal of establishing an Islamic State in Indonesia. One of these movements was the "Laskar Hitam movement." Which was a militia group that kidnapped and killed Oto Iskandar di Nata, Indonesia's first State Minister of Indonesia.

New Order regime


On March 11, 1981, an extreme Muslim group, known as the "Jamaah Imron," attacked the Cicendo police station in Bandung. The attack was quashed by Indonesian police, but several members escaped to Medan, North Sumatra, and hijacked Garuda flight 206 to Bangkok 2 weeks later. The passengers and crews were rescued by Indonesian special force in the Don Mueang International Airport, Bangkok, Thailand. The pilot and a soldier were shot death during the rescue attempt.

In 1987, the city boundary was expanded by the 'Greater Bandung' (Bandung Raya) plan; with the relocation of higher concentration development zones outside the city in an attempt to dilute population density in the old city. During this development, the city core was often uprooted, with old buildings torn down, lot sizes regrouped and rezoned, changing idyllic residential areas to commercial zones with bustling supermarket chains, malls, banks and upscale developments.