What to see in Bandung, Indonesia | Bandung travel guides

architectural jewels

In the late 18th and early 19th century, as locals called it the bandoeng tempo doeloe old Bandung era, there were many buildings built with an art-deco style. The city that had served as a weekend resort for European rich men has made these type of buildings possible. Unfortunately the city administration has a tendency to create a modern look of the city with suspension bridge, banks, malls and commercial areas, instead of preserving old historical buildings. The non-profit organization Bandung Heritage Society (http://www.bandungheritag...) has been formed recently to save these jewels forever.

Who is C.P.W. Schoemaker?

Born in Ambarawa Central Java in 1882, Schoemaker has been renowned as the father of Bandung Art-Deco architectural style. He is famous for blending modern European architecture, but closely related to the tropical surroundings. This blending of ancient decorative elements and modern architectural features has made him the best Indonesian architect at that time. He later became a professor at the Institute Technology Bandung. Among of his student is ir. Soekarno, the first president of the Republic of Indonesia. He died in 1949 in the city that he loved and buried at the Pandu cemetery, Bandung.

When visiting Bandung, don't forget to visit his residence at Jl. Sawunggaling 2, where its heroic renovation has been awarded by UNESCO.

His artworks include: Gedung Merdeka, Villa Isola, facade of the Grand Preanger Hotel, Cipaganti mosque, Cathedral at Jl. Merdeka, Church at Jl. Wastukencana, the Majestic theater, Gedung PLN, Landmark building at Jl. Braga, etc.

Make sure you see these buildings before they're gone.

Villa Isola

Jl. Dr. Setiabudhi 229. Architect: C.P.W. Schoemaker. Built in 1932 for an Italian millionaire D.W. Berretty as a villa. It lies in the northern part of Bandung, overlooking the city to south and the Tangkuban Perahu mountain to the north. Villa Isola and its 2 gardens have a magnificent design by its architect, combining the unique landscape and the Indo-European architectural style. This monumental art was later used for a hotel, named Hotel de Luxe. Now it serves as UPI's Indonesia University of Education headmastership building.

Gedung Merdeka

Jl. Asia-Afrika 65 near alun-alun or city square.Architect: Van Gallen Last and C.P.W Schoemaker. Built in 1895 for a club house for rich people, named the Concordia Society. In 1955, this building was famous as the first Asian-African conference venue. Now it is a museum for that conference.

Savoy Homann Hotel

Jl. Asia-Afrika 112, +62-22-4232244. it was built in 1880, renovated in 1938 by a Dutch architect A.F. Aabers with an art-deco style as it is seen today. It still serves a hotel until now. The King and Queen of Siam, The Prince and Queen of Belgium, The Governor General of Indo-China, The Duchess of Westminster and even Charles Chaplin had stayed there three times. You can also still stay in this hotel and enjoying the old colonial time.

Grand Hotel Preanger

Jl. Asia-Afrika 81.It has two sides: the old facade and the modern wing side. The old facade has an interesting story, as C.P.W. Schoemaker designed the art-deco style that is blended with local culture. It was a controversial issue at that time, but that gives a unique style.

Gedung Sate

Jl. Diponegoro.Architect: J. Gerber, built in 1921. It was used as the head of the Dutch Indies Government Companies. The roof has a decoration of a popular satay food as now it is famous for the name, though it was not meant to be like that. In fact, it is a 6 ornaments, symbolizing 6 million guldens, the cost of the building. Now, the complex is the office of West Java governor and the local provincial house of representatives. Interestingly, this building mixes different architectural styles: Spanish Moorish style for the windows, Italian renaissance for the over all building, and between Balinese pura & Thai's pagoda for the roof. The facade faces directly to the Mt. Tangkubanperahu. The building is open for public, and at the end of the journey inside, you can sip a nice hot bajigur drink while watching the city view from the top floor.

Cipaganti Mosque

Jl. Cipaganti.Architect: C.P.W. Schoemaker, built in 1933. It was the only mosque that was built in the European residential area in the northern part of Bandung. The central facade still has the original design, but the mosque has been expanded to both of its side.

ITB West and East Hall

Aula Barat & Timur ITB, Jl. Ganesha 10.ITB is Institute Technology Bandung, the oldest institute of technology in Indonesia. It was built in 1918 by the architect Maclaine Pont. The most prominent Dutch East Indian architecture is the West and East Hall of this institute, where a West Sumatran style of architecture was used.

art & science

Bandung has been the melting point between the local Sundanese culture and the high-end technology developed at the Institute Technology Bandung. There are some interesting places to visit:

Saung Angklung Udjo

(http://www.angklung-udjo....). Angklung is a traditional South-East Asian musical instrument, made by bamboo. Udjo Nalagena, a famous angklung artist, created an Angklung House in the outskirt of Bandung, where angklung is made, learned and played. You can enjoy an angklung orchestra played by 12 year old or less children or even be a part of this orchestra, holding one of the angklung instruments. The place is in the middle of padi terrace and bamboo field, a perfect location to feel the relaxedness of a small village. It is one of the famous travel destinations among westerners and is highly recommended.Location: Jl. Padasuka 118, around 7km from Bandung.How to get there: The easiest way is to rent a car to go there or ask your travel agent if there is a program to visit this place.

Bosscha Observatorium

(http://www.as.itb.ac.id/~...), built in 1923 by Nederlandsch-Indische Sterrekundige Vereeniging Assoc. of Dutch-Indies Astronomers is the only observatorium in Indonesia. It lies in Lembang, a small suburb city in the northern part of Bandung. It is now part of the Dept. of Astronomy, Institute Technology Bandung.Location: Jl. Peneropongan Bintang, Lembang 40391. Tel: +62 22-2786001. E-mail: administration[at]as.itb.ac.idTo visit there, ask the department administration first for a reservation. Some visiting notes: Reservation must be made 1 month before. Bosscha is closed on national holidays, Sunday and Monday. Day visit at 9:00, 12:00 except Friday at 13:00 and 15:00. Public night 17:00-19:30, between April-October, with some presentations and demos. Ask there for a specific date as this public night is open at the 7th & 8th of the lunar month. Special visit can be arranged, subject to their availability.

Geological Museum

houses 250.000 rocks and mineral collection, and 60.000 fossils. There are 3 major rooms in the museums: the geology of Indonesia, the history of life and the geology of human life. The building itself has an art-deco style, built in 1928 by a Dutch architect Wnalda van Scholtwenburg.Location: Jl. Diponegoro 57, Bandung. near Gedung Sate complex. Tel: +62-22-7203205.Visiting time: every day 09:00-15:00 except Friday. Price: Free. Recommended museum by locals.

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