Surakarta
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- For the abstract strategy board game, see Surakarta (game).
Surakarta (its formal name; locally it is referred to as Solo) is an Indonesian city of approximately 500,000 people located in Central Java. It is some 65 km (40 miles) northeast of Yogyakarta, and 100 km (60 miles) southeast of Semarang. The city was a center of power during the 18th century Mataram Kingdom.
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Surakarta or Solo
The local inhabitants are more familiar with and use the name of "Solo" or "Sala" for the city, rather than "Surakarta". "Surakarta" is however used in formal and official contexts.
Geography
The eastern part of the town is bordered by Bengawan Solo River, the longest river on Java. The river is the inspiration for the song Bengawan Solo, a 1940s composition by Gesang Martohartono which became famous throughout much of Asia.
History
This is the older of the two royal cities in Central Java (the other is Yogyakarta), and its ruling family can lay claim to being the rightful heirs to the Mataram dynasty. Like Yogya, Solo has two royal palaces and a number of museums, yet its tourist industry is nowhere near as developed. The city's main source of income is from textiles, and Solo has the biggest batik market on Java. Solo also makes an ideal base from which to visit the home of Java Man at Sangiran, as well as the intriguing temples Candi Ceto and Candi Sukuh.
Pakubuwono II
Up until 1744, Solo was little more than a quiet backwater village, 10km east of Kartasura, the contemporary capital of the Mataram kingdom. But in that year the Mataram susuhunan (king), Pakubuwono II, backed the Chinese against the Dutch, and the court at Kartasura was sacked as a result. Pakubuwono II searched for a more auspicious spot to rebuild his capital, and in 1745 the entire court was dismantled and transported in a great procession to Surakarta, on the banks of the Kali Solo. However, the decline continued, and in 1757 a rival royal house of Mangkunegoro was established right in the centre of Solo. Thereafter, Solo's royal houses wisely avoided fighting and instead threw their energies into the arts, developing a highly sophisticated and graceful court culture. The gamelan pavilions became the new theatres of war, with each city competing to produce the more refined court culture.
Pakubuwono X
Perhaps the most significant ruler of the twentieth century, was Pakubuwono X. His relationship with the Dutch, and his large family, and his popularity contributed to perhaps the largest funeral procession that ever occurred in Solo. He had contributed large expenditure on the Royal Graveyard at Imogiri in the main sections of the graveyard, as well as towards the new section that he was buried in.
Local dialect
Although people in Jawa Tengah use the same language named "boso jowo" ("basa jawa", Javanese) they have special characteristics which differentiate them from which region they come. For example, for the word "cold" ("dingin" in Indonesian, especially for weather), people in Surakarta use the word "adem", but people in Semarang use the word "atis".Template:Indonesia-geo-stub
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