Bandung

Bandung is the capital city of the West Java province of Indonesia. It is located on the western highland of Java island, about 135 kilometres (84 miles) southeast of Jakarta. Bandung is known for its cool climate, being situated 708 meters (2,323 feet) above sea level.

In the past, the Dutch used the area around Bandung for tea plantations. They built roads and eventually made Bandung a beautiful resort city, calling it Parijs van Java or "The Paris of Java." After Indonesia declared independence in 1945, Bandung grew quickly into a busy city with many tall buildings and lots of people.

Today, Bandung is a major technology centre and a Smart City, using technology to help with services and keep people informed about things like traffic or floods. It is also part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. The city hosted an important meeting called the Bandung Conference in 1955, and it has a new international airport called Kertajati International Airport that opened in 2018.

History

Main article: History of Bandung

Bandung, known officially as Bandoeng during Dutch rule, has a long history. People lived in the area as far back as 1488, and even earlier. During the 1700s and 1800s, the Dutch built roads and plantations around Bandung. In 1810, a major road called De Groote Postweg, now Jalan Asia-Afrika, was built through the city.

In 1880, the first railroad from Batavia (now Jakarta) to Bandung was finished, which helped the city grow. By 1906, Bandung became an official city. In the 1920s, the Dutch planned to move their capital from Batavia to Bandung, building many government buildings, but World War II stopped these plans.

After Indonesia gained independence in 1945, Bandung became the capital of West Java province. In 1955, the city hosted the Asian-African Conference, where leaders from Asia and Africa met to promote world peace and oppose colonialism. This conference was important for countries seeking independence and changed world politics.

Geography

Bandung is the capital of West Java province and is located about 180 kilometres (110 mi) southeast of Jakarta. It sits at an elevation of 768 metres (2,520 ft) above sea level and is surrounded by tall volcanic mountains. The city lies in a wide flat area called the Bandung Basin, which is an important source of water for drinking, farming, and fishing.

Bandung has many old buildings with Dutch-style designs, especially from a style called tropical Art Deco. These buildings mix European and local styles, showing how different cultures influenced the city's architecture. The city has been growing with many new tall buildings being built recently.

The north of Bandung serves as a important water source, but it also faces issues with flooding in the south. The city has also dealt with problems like pollution from garbage and extreme weather events such as tornadoes.

Bandung has a tropical monsoon climate, meaning it has wet and dry seasons. The temperatures stay fairly cool throughout the year because of its higher elevation.

Government

Bandung’s city area grew from 19.22 square kilometres in 1906 to 167.2965 km² by 1987. The city is split into 30 districts and 153 villages. For development, these districts are grouped into eight sub-city regions: Arcamanik, Cibeunying, Kerees, Kordon, Gedebage, Ujungberung, Bojonagara, and Tegalega. Bambang Tirtoyuliono has been the mayor since 2023. Since 2008, residents have voted directly for the mayor, instead of having the city council choose one. The council, called the Bandung City Regional House of Representatives, has 50 members.

Bandung City includes 30 districts. Here are details about their areas, populations from the 2010 and 2020 Censuses, and estimates from mid-2022. The table also shows where each district’s administrative centre is, how many administrative villages each has, and the postal codes.

Economy

Bandung's economy is based on tourism, business, creative work, high-tech industries, and manufacturing. The city also has many schools, shops, banks, medicine companies, and food producers. The area known as Dago has become a busy place with nice cafés and restaurants. Jalan Cihampelas is famous for its clothing stores and remains popular today. Some well-known shopping places in Bandung include Trans Studio Mall Bandung, Summarecon Mall Bandung, Bandung Indah Plaza, Cihampelas Walk, Paris Van Java Mall, and 23 Paskal Shopping Center.

Bandung is a favorite weekend spot for people from Jakarta because of its cool weather, tasty food, and affordable shops. The city has many places to shop for clothes and visit, including golf courses and a zoo. In the 1990s, Jalan Cihampelas became known as a place for jeans, attracting visitors looking for cheaper fashion items. Near Bandung, there are interesting places to see such as Tangkuban Prahu volcano, Kawah Putih lake, and Patenggang Lake. The city also has museums worth visiting, like the Geological Museum of Bandung and the Asian-African Conference Museum. Since 2014, the city has a special tourist bus called Bandros to help visitors get around.

Tourism

Demographics

Bandung is mainly home to people of Sundanese descent, with Javanese people making up the largest minority group. Other smaller groups include Minang, Minahasan, Chinese, Batak, Malay, Korean, Indian, and Arabs. Most people in Bandung follow Islam, but there are also communities of Protestant, Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and Hindu people.

In 2005, about 2.29 million people lived in Bandung. By 2010, this number grew to 2.395 million, and by 2020, it was 2.444 million. As of mid-2023, Bandung had around 2,506,603 people, with slightly more males than females. This makes Bandung the third-most populous city in Indonesia.

Culture

Bandung is an important cultural center in Indonesia. Many people in the area are ethnically Sundanese, and they often speak the Sundanese language at home, in schools, and in markets. Standard Indonesian is used for government, business, and formal education.

Bandung has a rich musical history. Traditional instruments like the Angklung, Suling, and Kacapi are used in Tembang Sunda music. Many well-known music bands, such as Kahitna, The Changcuters, SM*SH, Yovie & Nuno, Noah, and Project Pop, started in Bandung.

Bandung is home to Persib Bandung, a popular football team that plays in Liga 1. The city also has a basketball team called Prawira Bandung. People enjoy mountain cycling on weekends, especially on the roads to Lembang and Dago. Badminton and golf are also popular sports in the area.

Bandung has local newspapers like Pikiran Rakyat, Galamedia, and Tribun Jabar. There are local TV stations such as TVRI Jawa Barat, Bandung TV, MQTV, and PJTV. Many radio stations also broadcast from Bandung. The city was even featured on an American TV show called The Amazing Race 23.

Transport

Bandung can be reached by highways from Jakarta. An intercity toll highway called Cipularang Toll Road, connecting Jakarta, Karawang, Purwakarta, Padalarang and Bandung, was completed in May 2005, and is the fastest way to reach Bandung from the capital by road. Driving time is about 1.5 hours on average. There are three other options: the Puncak route (Jakarta-Cianjur/Sukabumi-Bandung), Purwakarta route (Jakarta-Cikampek-Purwakarta-Cikalong Wetan-Padalarang-Cimahi-Bandung) and the Subang route (Jakarta-Cikampek-Subang-Lembang-Bandung). From cities further east (Cirebon, Tasikmalaya and Central Java province), Bandung can be accessed through the main provincial road. Indonesian National Route 3 links Bandung with the rest of Java towards Cilegon and Ketapang (Banyuwangi).

The Pasupati Bridge was built to relieve traffic congestion in the city for east–west transport. The 2.8-kilometre (1.7 mi) cable-stayed bridge lies through the Cikapundung Valley. It is 30 to 60 metres (98 to 197 feet) wide and, after extensive delays, it was finally completed in June 2005, following financial investment from Kuwait. The bridge is part of Bandung's comprehensive inner-city highways plan.

Bandung has two intercity bus terminals: Leuwipanjang, serving buses from the west, and Cicaheum, serving buses from the east. Both are at full capacity and are to be replaced by a new terminal at Gedebage on 15 hectares (37 acres) land, after which the old terminals will function as inner-city terminals. The new terminal will be located next to the Gedebage railway station near Gedebage container dry port.

Taxis and Carpooling are widely available. The primary means of public transportation is by angkot minibuses (from angkutan, "transportation" and kota, "city"); angkot are privately operated and serve multiple routes throughout the city, and although cheap, they are considered basic and uncomfortable. To find exact angkot routes, passengers may look for information available through the drivers or at terminals.

Due to the current extent of railway lines in Bandung, only two named regional railway services, Lokal Bandung Raya and Lokal Garut Cibatuan, are serving the city, serving a single line. It catered for the suburban areas east and west of the city such as Cimahi, Padalarang, Rancaekek, Cicalengka, as well as some other neighbouring towns such as Garut and Purwakarta. KAI Commuter took over the operations of both services from its mother company KAI in 2022, anticipating planned electrification of the route by Ministry of Transport.

Boseh is a dock-based bicycle-sharing system provided by the Transport Service (Dinas Perhubungan) of Bandung.

Public buses in Bandung and its surrounding urban area are operated by various operators, with a total 16 bus lines currently operating. DAMRI buses used to dominate as the main bus operator serving the city and its surrounding metropolitan area, first operating in the 1970s, with at some point operating more than 10 routes. However, it collapsed in October 2021, leaving 5 routes still operating. Following the example of TransJakarta, the city government introduced its own BRT system called Trans Metro Bandung on 24 September 2009. By 2022, it served 5 trunk corridors and 1 feeder routes. Both DAMRI and Trans Metro Bandung buses uses higher deck buses similar to TransJakarta, but could be stopped anywhere along its route and do not run separately from traffic.

Provincial government of West Java also operates a bus route called as Safe and Healthy Bus Rapid Transit (shortened Buratas), serving only a single line. As part of nationwide bus services modernization program called as Teman Bus, a more disciplined system branded as Trans Metro Pasundan was introduced by central government's Ministry of Transportation in December 2021. Two operators, Big Bird (part of Blue Bird Group) and DAMRI operated 5 routes inherited from former DAMRI routes under a contract with Ministry of Transport. Introduction of new bus routes in Bandung often faced resistance from angkots and extortion attempts by so-called local patrons due to perception that their revenues being stolen, leading to blockades and verbal threats against bus drivers. Due to fragmentation of brands and operators, passengers must pay again when transiting to other bus lines or to other modes such as trains. Only Trans Metro Pasundan has integrated tariff, enabling users not to pay again when transferring to other routes within the system.

A more comprehensive plan to revitalize the bus system will be implemented in 2024, extending from the Trans Metro Pasundan project. It would integrate all operators within a single system called Trans Bagja, with proper Bus Rapid Transit features such as dedicated lanes, frequent bus availability and bus stops. The planned system intended to use electric powered buses, both imported and locally produced. Bandung city government also operated a fleet of city tour buses called as Bandung Tour on Bus (shortened Bandros).

Bandung has two large railway stations, Bandung and Kiaracondong Stations. Other smaller stations are Cimindi, Andir, Ciroyom, Cikudapateuh, and Gedebage Stations. Railway lines connect Bandung to Cianjur, Jakarta, Purwakarta, Bekasi, Karawang, and Cikampek to the west, and Surabaya, Malang, Yogyakarta, and Solo to the east. The Whoosh high-speed rail line currently provides train service from nearby Padalarang and Tegalluar to Jakarta's Halim station. Due to constraints, stations serving Bandung are neither within Bandung city centre nor the limits of Bandung city. Instead, a feeder service will ply between Padalarang HSR station and the main Bandung station, using existing tracks.

Airport

Bandung's main airport, Husein Sastranegara Airport (BDO). The airport is located near the Dirgantara aerospace complex and Dirgantara Fairground. The Kertajati International Airport in Majalengka Regency was built to replace the Husein Sastranegara Internasional Airport. Redevelopment of the existing Husein Sastranegara Internasional Airport (BDO) was completed in 2016. The new and larger second airport for the Greater Bandung Area; Kertajati International Airport (KJT) opened in June 2018, just in time for the 2018 Asian Games. On 11 July 2023, Indonesian President Joko Widodo announced that Husein Sastranegara Internasional Airport will be retired and all commercial flights will be moved to Kertajati starting October 2023 when it is fully operational.

Education

Bandung is a very important place for learning in Indonesia. It has almost 50 colleges and universities, along with many public and private schools for children. There are 16 universities in the city, three of which are owned by the government, and 45 professional schools. Students can study many subjects, from social sciences and technology to tourism.

Some of the well-known universities in Bandung include the Bandung Institute of Technology, which is the oldest and most famous technical university in Indonesia, and was established in 1920. The Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia is a leading school for teachers, founded in 1954. The Universitas Padjadjaran is known for its programs in medicine, law, communication, and economics. There are also international schools in Bandung for children whose families speak different languages.

In the north of Bandung, there is the Bosscha Observatory, which is the only observatory in Indonesia. It was built between 1923 and 1928 and became part of the Bandung Institute of Technology's Department of Astronomy in 1959.

International relations

Main article: List of twin town and sister cities in Indonesia

Many countries have opened offices called consulates in Bandung. Some of these countries include France, Netherlands, Poland, Latvia, Hungary, and Austria.

Bandung also has friendly partnerships with several cities around the world. These include Braunschweig in Germany, Cotabato City in the Philippines, Cuenca in Ecuador, Fort Worth in the United States, Kuching in Malaysia, Liuzhou in China, Melbourne in Australia, Namur in Belgium, Petaling Jaya in Malaysia, and Suwon in South Korea.

Notable people

Main category: People from Bandung

This section lists well-known individuals who come from Bandung, the capital city of West Java in Indonesia. These people have made their mark in various fields and are recognized for their contributions to their communities and the world.