The Shifting Alun-alun

Bandung: From “Paradise in Exile” to “Parijs van Java”

Located on former southern shore of Situ Hiang[1], Tatar Ukur (Land of Ukur) or Tatar Bandung on around 16^th century sits on a piece of land with mountainous terrain, dense forest and surrounded by active volcanoes. Mt. Tangkubanperahu and Mt. Burangrang stand far in the north, while Mt. Papandayan, Mt. Halimun, Mt. Malabar and Mt. Wayang being barriers on the south. Rivers flows through mountainous terrain,  little lakes squatters along the former bowl of old Bandung Lake, and little local settlement inhabited the land, as part of Karesidenan[2] Priangan with Cianjur as the capital. It was formerly a part of Mataram’s[3] vassal, hometown of Wangsanata (Dipati Ukur). Accessible through waterways on the rivers and little unknown paths inside the forest, it was closed and untouchable to those who is not familiar with it.

The Dutch “kumpeni[4]” called it “Negorij Bandong”, consider it as “terra incognita”, an unknown land potential to be rebels outpost because of its secure and secluded location[5]. It only exists in stories and news on the ears of the Dutch; until in 1712 Abraham van Riebeek came in quest for coffee and sulphur, and came back with journals and notes about the land’s potential. By mid 18^th century, kumpeni used the land as an exile place without knowing the true potential of the land. When many exiled people opened plantations or logging companies and became rich, the area then called “paradise in exile”. Proper land access to Tatar Ukur opened in 1786, connecting the area with Batavia[6], Bogor and Cianjur; benefited the coffee plantation and industry located in the southern slope of Mt. Tangkubanperahu.

When Hermann Willem Daendels build the “Grote Postweg” (Post Highway) along north coastal Java, Tatar Bandung was already a bigger settlement with agriculture industry namely Kabupaten[7] Bandung, with an old capital in Karapyak (Dayeuhkolot). The big infrastructure project then became a reason for movement of the capital to the location closer to it, since the former capital located around 11km from the highway. Along with it, a new compound was built, with a bridge across the River Cikapundung. This development resulted in the movement of Karesidenan Priangan’s capital city from Cianjur to Bandung decades later; to develop highland Priangan in effort of kumpeni to get out from economic crisis after the British invasion.

As a result, Bandung developed into a city with plantations and agriculture products; coffee, tea, and kina industries, logging companies or dairy producers, and many other. Coffee, kina and tea are the most valuable and abundant commodities, with hectares of plantations stretched on the highland mountainous area. 1884 the train rack was built, connecting Bandung with Batavia and Surabaya, it really helps the plantation development. “Preangerplanters”[8] are on their glory, in compete with fellow “suikerplanters”[9] from neighboring Central and East Java. In  By 1920, the city was known as “Parijs van Java” - “Europa en the tropen”; a vacation city accommodated the wealthy preangerplanters.  Hotels and estates were being built, as well as schools, cafes and restaurants. Buildings with distinct façades scattered all around the city, results of European influences in architecture; besides the fact that most architects during that period are those the Dutch. Commercial centres and cultural space placed in several vital points in the city, like the famous Bragaweg with Concordia building and Majestic theatre;  and Savoy Homann Hotel located just on historical Postweg. There, where the heart of the city beats with the crowded commercial area and festival places, Alun-alun Bandung stands as the center of Grote Postweg.   

Alun-alun Bandung and Inlandsch Bestuur

Dutch kumpeni maintained its anchored grip over Nusantara with an indirect rule system. Like ancient Indian merchants who trade with local chieftains in Nusantara; they established a strong relation with local aristocrats and administrators and then used them, as well as their political power to suppress and then take over control over region and its people. At the end, these local regents, wedanas, or camats ruled under the power of Dutch Governor General or resident. Inlandsch bestuur, is what they were called. They are pangreh praja to the local tongue; people who work for Dutch kumpeni. Thus, no new system needed to control over people; since the established system of late kingdoms was still firmly used. The administration levels with its heads are just one example of such system that remain exist and kept during Dutch colonization. This very system also applied to the spatial policy of cities and regencies, and so it applied to the development of Kabupaten Bandung.

Tempted and assured by its political power on the people, Dutch kumpeni included alun-alun in the movement of the capital, with the same compound planning of the surroundings. It placed north to the bupati’s pendopo (regent’s administration office with front yard), with city mosque on the West side following the late Islamic adjustment of the cosmology. It placed on the major road Grote Postweg, and enclosed by streets lead to market, bus station, commercial and cultural centre in the surrounding area. Prestigious commercial Bragaweg is on its east, crossed Grote Postweg and lead to central train station on the north. Around it, new buildings are added – a whole collection of art deco and Indies architecture. To make it perfect, kumpeni also placed an office of higher rank Dutch officer “Asisten Residen” on the higher hierarchical place on the north, completed the cosmology by deviated its orientation. This way, north orientation which considers sacred belongs to the Dutch, symbolizing its power over the land.  

The function of alun-alun was then being shaped to benefit the Dutch regime. Since it is no longer a place for rituals and ceremonies, it gradually became more profane place for people. It was then functioned more like civic centre; and by the end of Dutch regime it was more and more close to city plazas in Europe. It was used to celebrate festivals, competitions or entertainment for the wealthy Dutch tourist, as well as military rehearsal.

The most probable logic for the switching function of alun-alun during that time is perhaps related to two things. First, deviation of Dutch knowledge on the former cosmology that  being synchronized through time, following the more fluid islam influence during short period of Islamic era. Second, the concept of agora known in Europe for thousands years brought indirectly concept of democracy in plazas used as civic centre. Note that it is also wrong to see alun-alun on the same understanding as “square” in most of European cities. In contrast with square that being defined by the buildings enclosed it, alun-alun is a place that being defined by the activity of the people who use it. As the word “alun-alun” itself means wave, that despite it represent the sea which enclosed the land and symbolized harmony between the two; it also represent the wave of people – people gather in mass, the activity which defines the space and transforms it into place. 

Nationalism and Soekarno as Architect

“Kami menggoyangkan langit, menggempakan darat, dan menggelorakan samudera agar tidak jadi bangsa yang hidup hanya dari 2 ½ sen sehari. Bangsa yang kerja keras, bukan bangsa tempe, bukan bangsa kuli. Bangsa yang rela menderita demi pembelian cita-cita”  (“We shake the heavens, quake the earth, and wave the ocean so as not to become a nation who live only with 2.5 cents a day. A hardworking nation, not a nation of tempe, not a nation of labors. A nation who willing to suffer to purchase its dreams.”)
~Soekarno~

This kind of speech were often likely heard around 1945 to 1949. People stopped in warung kopi (coffee kiosks), houses, shops or stations, with radios tuned on waiting for it. Most of all, people are eager to come and gather with thousands, sometimes tens of thousands others in alun-alun just to hear the burns-spirited speech of Soekarno. Despite the economy crisis that swept the country during this period, and unfulfilled basic needs, people willing to stand for hours under the heat of the tropical sun and join the wave of the mass shouting and encourage for nationalism spirit burns by the president words. Nationalism and anti-colonialism as his main and principal conception being voiced and exclaimed by speech to the gathering mass, for at the same time integrated the power of physical revolution under his control. It was a direct, yet indirect campaign for developing the social, cultural and national identity of the early de-colonized state. It integrated the power of the mass, and confirming the legitimate power of new government.

“What seems to materialize is a regime that combine popular politics with high performances synthesizing elite monuments…. With the basic needs of the ‘people’ ~Abidin Kusno~ 

“How many times have the city, its architecture, and the theater been intertwined, for the theater is often a foil for the representations of public life, and a public space frequently is arranged as if for theatrical performance.”~Christine M. Boyer~

In particular times in vital cities all around the archipelago, alun-alun would looked only like sea of people, stands in crowd with Soekarno giving speech high on the built podium. For this means, lots of alun-alun being built in other cities; or being replace with a new and bigger one to mark new city center which could accommodate more people and represent a dignity in the city. As a bright politician and an architect, Soekarno was very aware of the power of integrated mass and the place that accommodate it. With sufficient and good understanding of history, he accentuated the political power of the place and transform the deviated meaning of alun-alun, and left behind the concept of civic centre or entertainment square.

Despite the fact that he eradicate two sacred banyan trees from his plans for alun-alun that represent divine aspect which support the legitimate order and power in early alun-alun, he replace the divine aspect with integrated people voice for a legitimation.

 “Soekarno represents the people, and the people are represented by the buildings and the city he created. ~Abidin Kusno~

Planned as a cultural and national identity, new alun-alun[s] were created to direct people expression towards nationalism and revolution. In some cities it takes a round shape, to stress the focal center point and thus determine a certain orientation. Location of alun-alun marks the city center, with city grand mosque, governmental office and cultural centre. Palangkaraya Great Roundabout, Hero Monument in Surabaya, or  Malang Roundabout are few examples of his planned development.[10]

 “Here, urban design is understood not simply as a method of representing cities in the post-colonial nation after the end of colonial rule, but is used rather as a technique for turning cities into fields of social, cultural and national identity production ~Abidin Kusno~

The Ever-changing Face of Alun-alun Bandung

Sometimes during decades of the so-called “development era”, people witnessed the changing “façade” of Alun-alun Bandung. What does this imply? It is not that later alun-alun on that time has a built structure with side enclosures like buildings, it was still an open space. Neither that the people drew façade for it, It was still an open space with no fences. But since alun-alun is a planned space within a package with its surrounding buildings, the changing of which were always seem to change the face of alun-alun. In this case, it was the city mosque that stands side by side with alun-alun – which had been forced to experience plastic surgeries over and over again during such a short period. The grand mosque of the city keeps changing its appearances, like a teenager searching for her true identity.

“How does the grand mosque of Bandung looks like?” – If someone asks this same question in around 1999 to a family of three generations in Bandung, she would get three different answers. The grandmother might says, “It has terraces with columns, uplift floor with cemented feet. The main hall’s roof looks like Demak’s grand mosque, with three levels of meru forming the peak. Its main entrance facing the west street that enclosed alun-alun, with two little minareths stands to its left and right. It can be seen through two old trembesi trees that framed the mosque perfectly if you stand and look upon it from alun-alun.”. The father might have different picturesque, “It looks like beheaded prism put on top of a box.  Or actually… beheaded or erupting volcano. It …”. The granddaughter at last, might says, “I always remember it seen through lined kiosks across alun-alun, or under its terracotta bridge to alun-alun. It has weird round terracotta tower, and a weird wall painted in grey with openings that looks like layers of pyramid. Somehow it doesn’t looks like a mosque.”. The three persons could even give you a different photograph picturing alun-alun.

“Symbols and signs do not produce their meaning alone. …It is not their visible form that conveys the message, but the codes which they are produced and the social context that configures their expression.”~Christine M. Boyer~

What happened to the mosque during this time was that: the changing of the mayor means the changing face of the grand mosque. The tendency happen to be practiced because this is what seems to represent “development’’ – to follow the centrality vision of the regime in the new order of Soeharto.

This emphasis on the centrality of vision in architecture and urban space constitute a phantasmagoria of display of the achievement of the new order in embracing commodity capitalism. ~Abidin Kusno~

This period marked by a vast campaign of development for uplifting purposes. It tried to replace the nationalism-based old regime with centrality vision, uplifting purposes and city developments with capitalism. It develops a politic of fear upon communism and other threats, and based its reign of power over capital city spectacles. Jakarta became a theater of spectacles. Flyovers, highways and airports are built as well as lines of electricity and water to villages around.

Here, urban spaces is constructed to define and regulate both the priveleged and the poor. They are both celebrated and constituted by the urban infrastructure, constructed to assemble crowds for uplifting purposes. ~Abidin Kusno~

The changing façade of the grand mosque means the changing face of alun-alun. More importantly, as the mosque became a central spectacle in the compound – the function of alun-alun is slowly changed over time. It was then when the mosque became so important as spectacle, the role of alun-alun degraded into a mere city square as part of the spectacle. It is decorated with paved garden, flowers and benches, while a fountain placed on the center. People look upon it from afar, enjoying the view but more and more distant from it. It became a picture inside a frame to be hanged and enjoy, and thus it lost its spirit of the people and the mass.

It is arguably possible that this less tendency of gathering as integrated mass during that period was not a coincidence, considering the political climate of the regime. In a tight political weather designed to maintain “stability” and “order”, under the “guided democracy”; integrated mass in any forms for any means could be consider a threat. It is surely assumed that the reign of power during that period was very aware of the potential power of alun-alun as a place of integrated mass gathering. Since alun-alun exists in almost every city all over the archipelago, total control over this powerful place is needed. As high as its potential to give legitimation to the reign of power, alun-alun has potential to do the contrast. In this regard, all it needs is to suppress the power of the place by make it as neutral as possible, and thus shifts people’s attention from the possibility. 

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[1] Local name of old Bandung Lake, ancient crater of Mt.Sunda.

[2] Government Administration level below province

[3] Islamic kingdom Mataram (1500-1700)

[4] Local name given to Dutch East Indies Company (VOC) by Indonesian.

[5] Kunto, Haryoto. “Wajah Bandoeng Tempo Doeloe”, Bandung: 1984, p.7-9

[6] Today Jakarta

[7] Government administration level under the reign of Bupati (regent)

[8] Plantation owners from Priangan highland, differs by tea, kina or coffee.

[9] Sugar plantation owners from Central and East Java

[10] Rukayah, Siti & Soegiono Soetomo, “Referensi Soekarno dalam Memaknai Sejarah dan Konsep Alun-alun di Indonesia”, Journal of Historical Studies, HISTORIA: 2007