History of Bandung
The First 300 Hundred Years

A short history of #Bandung, from its first foreign visitor and thriving plantations to the dramatic battle that became known as #BandungLautanApi. | #HistoryBandung | #Bandung | #ExploreSunda

The history of Bandung begins with a landscape shaped by geological forces, local legends, and a small settlement surrounded by jungle, lakes, and swamps. The story of Sangkuriang offers one legendary explanation for this landscape, while written records provide a glimpse of Bandung centuries later. How did this remote settlement become one of Indonesia’s most important cities? This is the story of Bandung’s first 300 years.

One day, I came across my dad's copy of Wajah Bandoeng Tempo Doeloe by Haryoto Kunto. I was fascinated by how the book traces Bandung's history from its beginnings to its heyday before World War II. This book serves as the primary source for the history of Bandung presented on this page, supplemented by information from other sources.

The Dutch first came to Indonesia in 1602. Their arrival marked the beginning of more than 350 years of colonial rule. However, it took them another forty years to reach Bandung. The first Dutchman sent to Bandung was Juliaen de Silva.

In 1641, Juliaen de Silva reported, “Aen een negrije genaemt Bandong bestaende uijt 25 a 30 huysen.” This translates roughly to, "There was a place called Bandung, which consisted of 25 to 30 houses." At that time, Bandung was largely covered by jungle and inhabited by numerous tigers and rhinoceroses. The ancient lake had not yet completely dried up, leaving behind several lakes and swamps. The local population was governed by Dipati Ukur and Tumenggung Bahureksa, who served under Sultan Agung of Mataram.

The History of Bandung: The Rise of Preanger Planters

In 1712, Abraham van Riebeek arrived in Pelabuhan Ratu, a seaport in southern West Java, bringing the first coffee seedlings to Java. This marked the beginning of coffee cultivation in the land of Sunda.

Nearly one hundred years after the first recorded report, the VOC [the Dutch trading company in Indonesia] finally took notice of Bandung. They appointed a soldier to govern the settlement. A year later, three more Dutch people arrived in Bandung. They became wealthy by establishing plantations and a sawmill. Following their success, more foreigners arrived in Bandung to establish coffee, tea, and cinchona plantations. They became affluent and earned a reputation as the Preanger Planters.

Nestled in the rolling hills of Mount Malabar lies a gorgeous tea plantation that was once the pride and joy of the Preanger Planters.

Some of the Preanger Planters were philanthropists who considered Indonesia their second home. One of them was Franz Wilhelm Junghuhn, a German-born Dutch botanist and geologist. Junghuhn successfully cultivated cinchona, an essential ingredient for medicine, especially for treating malaria. At one point, Bandung was responsible for supplying 90% of the world's cinchona.

Another successful planter was Piter Engelhard, who cultivated coffee. He began on the slopes of Mount Tangkuban Parahu before expanding to Mount Patuha, Mount Mandalawangi, Mount Galunggung, and Mount Malabar. His coffee became famous as "Javakoffie."

Karel Albert Rudolf Bosscha was known as Thee Koning (the King of Tea). His tea plantation on Mount Malabar covered 2,000 hectares, and his home stood at the center of the estate. Today, the estate and house are managed by PTPN VIII (PT Perkebunan Nusantara, the Indonesian state-owned agricultural enterprise). The house is well preserved, complete with its original furniture and Bosscha's piano. Over the years, PTPN VIII added a guesthouse on the property. Visitors can tour Bosscha's former home or spend the night at the guesthouse.

Bosscha's colonial-era home in the heart of the Malabar Tea Plantation.

Bosscha also played a significant role in education. He founded a free four-year primary school named Vervoloog Malabar near his home, which is now SDN II Malabar, a public elementary school. He was also among the founders of Technische Hoogeschool te Bandoeng, now known as Institut Teknologi Bandung (Bandung Institute of Technology). More than a century after its founding, ITB remains one of Indonesia's leading public universities.

He also funded the construction of the Bosscha Observatory, located a few kilometers north of Bandung. Bosscha personally traveled to Germany to purchase a Zeiss twin refractor telescope and a Bamberg refracting telescope.

Today, the Bosscha Observatory remains fully operational and is one of Indonesia's most important observatories. It was previously open to the public. However, according to its social media, the observatory is temporarily closed to the public while a new VGOS telescope is being built. In the meantime, you can learn more about the Bosscha Observatory here.

Bosscha Observatory in Lembang, Bandung.

Bosscha Observatory is a true masterpiece built with the contributions made by one of the Preanger Planters.

As these plantations flourished, a new challenge emerged: how to transport their produce to Batavia for shipment to the Netherlands. To solve this problem, the colonial administration began constructing roads and railways across Java.

History of Bandung: Mode of Transportations

Presently, the distance between Jakarta and Bandung is approximately 150 kilometers. There are several routes you can take, but the most popular are:

The second option is faster, but on average, it takes between two and a half and four hours to travel between Jakarta and Bandung.

But 400 years ago, it was a very different story!

The history of transportation in Bandung dates back to a time when waterways and dirt trails were the primary means of travel. Until 1786, people mostly traveled by boat along the Citarum and Cimanuk rivers to reach Bandung. This was because the traditional trail was extremely difficult to traverse.

The traditional trail dates back to the Sunda Kingdom in the 14th century. It began at Kalapa Port in Jayakarta (now Sunda Kelapa Port in North Jakarta) and continued to Pakuan Pajajaran, the capital of the Sunda Kingdom in present-day Bogor, before passing Puncak Pass and Cianjur and reaching ancient Bandung at Dayeuhkolot. The trail was used to transport goods between kingdoms.

In 1628, Sultan Agung of the Mataram Kingdom used the trail during his campaign against Batavia. In 1713, Governor-General Abraham van Riebeeck traveled along the same route while searching for sulfur deposits on Mount Tangkuban Perahu and Mount Papandayan. He also encouraged local officials to cultivate coffee.

When Daendels became Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (1808–1811), he was tasked with strengthening Java's military defense by building a road. This road, known as the Grote Postweg (the Great Postal Road in English or Jalan Raya Pos in Bahasa Indonesia), stretched for one thousand kilometers from Anyer, at the western tip of Java, to Panarukan in East Java. Although many assume the road followed Java's northern coast, it actually turned south at Batavia and followed the traditional trail through Buitenzorg (present-day Bogor), Puncak Pass, Cipanas, Cianjur, and Bandung. From Bandung, it continued north through Sumedang to Cirebon.

Rather than creating a new route, Daendels widened and reinforced the existing trail. However, the terrain remained challenging. Near Puncak Pass, buffaloes were used to help horses pull carts through the steep terrain. The effort was driven by the colonial government's need to transport valuable commodities, including tea, coffee, and fresh vegetables, to Batavia.

Over the years, the Grote Postweg continued to serve as a vital route between Bandung and Jakarta. Today, Puncak Pass and its tea plantations remain among West Java's most popular tourist destinations. Learn more about a road trip between Bandung and Jakarta via Puncak Pass here.

Although the Postal Road between Batavia (Jakarta) and Bandung followed the existing horse trail, when it reached Bandung, it became clear that the trail lay eleven kilometers north of the existing town center. As a result, Daendels ordered the local ruler to relocate the town center. Today, the former town center is known as Dayeuhkolot (dayeuh is the Sundanese word for "town," while kolot means "old").

During his inspection of the Postal Road and the new town center, Daendels thrust his stick into the ground and ordered the construction of a town at that very spot, which later became Kilometer Zero (Km 0) of Bandung. Today, the street is known as Jalan Asia Afrika, where many Art Deco buildings still stand, remarkably well preserved. It also witnessed the 1955 Asia–Africa Conference. The conference was held at Gedung Merdeka, now the Asia Africa Museum, while delegates stayed at two of Bandung's most prominent hotels: the Savoy Homann and the Grand Preanger.

Km. 0 of Bandung, the spot where Governor-General Daendels ordered the construction of the city's new town center.

Built over a century ago, this railroad bridge continues to connect Jakarta and Bandung to this day.

Despite the construction of the Postal Road, traveling from Batavia to Bandung still took nearly three days. So, eight decades after the Postal Road was completed, a railroad was built connecting Batavia, Bogor, Cianjur, and Bandung. About fifty years later, another railroad was built connecting Batavia, Cikampek, Purwakarta, and Bandung.

Today, the railroad on the former route is interrupted at Cipatat. As a result, train service operates only between Jakarta and Sukabumi, and between Sukabumi and Cipatat. In contrast, the latter railroad line remains fully operational, serving numerous daily train services.

The railroad dramatically reduced travel time between Jakarta and Bandung. The journey took just 2 hours and 45 minutes! After the railroad was extended from Cilacap in Central Java through Yogyakarta to Surabaya in East Java, Bandung became an important stopover, helping drive the city's rapid growth and development.

In 1906, Bandung was granted Gemeente (Dutch for municipality or township) status, 265 years after Juliaen de Silva's first visit. Because of the comfortable lifestyle enjoyed by many European residents, Bandung became known as Europa in de Tropen (Europe in the Tropics). The bustling Braga Street further strengthened Bandung's reputation as the Parijs van Java (Paris of Java).

Braga Street in Bandung Old Town exudes vintage charm and old-world allure.

The thriving plantations created a wealthy class of Preanger planters who helped finance the Netherlands' military campaigns. Meanwhile, most locals lived in poverty unless they belonged to the nobility or royal families. As a result, when the Netherlands attempted to re-establish its control after Indonesia declared its independence, the locals fiercely resisted. The residents ultimately burned much of Bandung to prevent it from falling into Dutch hands. The battle became known as Bandung Lautan Api, or Bandung Sea of Fire, and remains one of the most heroic chapters in the city's history. South of the railroad tracks, Bandung was burned almost to the ground, while the area north of the tracks remained largely intact.

Since then, Bandung has grown tremendously. However, if you look closely, the historic houses and Art Deco buildings are found mainly north of the railroad tracks, serving as reminders of this heroic event.

This is just a brief overview of Bandung's history. Even then, the Preanger Planters were promoting Bandung, attracting visitors with the city's cool climate and beautiful scenery. Today, Bandung has transformed into a modern city and remains one of Indonesia's most popular vacation destinations.