Indonesia’s Old Semarang City Named National Heritage Site

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – The city of Old Semarang in Central Java has been named a national heritage site by the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture through its Directorate-General for Culture, its deputy mayor confirmed on August 21.

“Yes, it is correct,” Semarang Deputy Mayor Hevearita Gunaryanti Rahayu told Kompas.com, referring to the status of Old Semarang.

The deputy mayor, who is also the head of the Old City Management Board (BPK2L), said the new status for Old Semarang was based on a new Regulation of the Ministry of Education and Culture No.682/P/2020, which was signed on August 12, 2020.

The deputy mayor, who is known as Ita, said that the plan had been through a long process since 2017. It started with the plan to promote the then old city of Semarang to become a Unesco Heritage sites.

“However, it turned out that the old city of Semarang had not yet been listed in the national heritage sites, not even at the provincial level,” she said.

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The team then fought for the national heritage status. However, through the discussions with the expert team of the national heritage sites, it would not be enough for the old city of Semarang alone to fulfill the requirements. The reason was, she said, many countries such as in Europe already have centuries-old buildings that are similar to the Old City of Semarang.

The national heritage sites team suggested that the historical stories behind the Old City and the surrounding areas be emphasized, she said.

“Currently, the Old City area becomes part of the city of Old Semarang, which also comprises three other historical locations namely Kauman, Malay, and China Town,” she said.

“We want to highlight that there is a story to tell. Four different communities live harmoniously for centuries until now,” Ita added.

The request from the national heritage team, she said, is to highlight not only the area in the Old City but also to include other community areas nearby and name them as the Old Semarang City.

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Overall, the Old Semarang areas tell many stories from the past.

The Old Semarang comprises Kauman Village, Malay Village, China Town, and Old City or known as Oude Stad during the Dutch colonial era.

She said the Kauman community began in the Sultanate of Mataram era between the 16th century and the beginning of the 18th century. At the time, the people of the Sultanate of Demak established a place of education for scholars in the Kauman area.

As the area began to grow, it attracted Malay merchants to come and built a new community. This was marked by the establishment of the Layur Mosque, which is also one of the cultural heritage buildings.

The Chinese then came and they lived next to the Malay community. However, when the Dutch East India Company (VOC) came, Ita explained, the Chinese moved to another location, which is now called Chinatown. They built the Tay Kak Sie Temple.

Meanwhile, she said, the people from the Dutch East India Company lived in an area which is now known as the Old City.

The new status of the heritage site

Ita said following its new status as a national heritage site, any projects of revitalization in all four areas must be under cultural heritage regulations.

“A revitalization or restoration project [of a building] cannot change the exterior parts. It can only change the inside part of the building,” she said.

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She is optimistic that if the refurbishment program is undertaken in all areas in the Old Semarang City, this will boost tourism and increase the community’s economy.

The beautification project will also be done in the Malay Village, Kauman, and the Chinatown areas so that they will look as attractive as the Old City area, she said. The Old City areas — which has many Dutch colonial buildings — have already been developed a few years ago and become one of the popular tourist destinations in Semarang.

The Semarang River which flows through all four areas of the Old Semarang City will also be improved. The construction will be carried out according to the direction of the Semarang administration, she said.

(Writer: Nur Rohmi Aida | Editor: Inggried Dwi Wedhaswary)

Source: https://www.kompas.com/tren/read/2020/08/21/210042665/kota-semarang-lama-ditetapkan-menjadi-kawasan-cagar-budaya-nasional?page=1.