At the late of the night, there was an urge for me to read the postings on WhatsApp Group Chat among my office colleagues. It was not messages but a video posted by a close friend of mine. Then, a normal curiosity came over me to find out as to what was sent in the middle of serious conversations.
Having given a touch on the screen of my CP, the first look seemed to me like an old version film of my country but with a lady back singer singing a Netherlands song. Only then, I noticed that it was about
Bandung in the old times but with no indication of time of production at all.
I felt enthusiast to carry on watching the video which brought my vivid memories of my life as a student of Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) in the 80s. As I went on end finished it, I felt a bit of disappointment because the video missed my campus an iconic building in Bandung, used to be
Techniche Hoogeschool te Bandung (THB)
or now ITB (Bandung Institute of Technology).
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| BTH in 1920 |
THB officially opened on
July 3rd, 1920 as the first technique high school in the Dutch East
Indies. Its construction started on July 4th 1919 by Architect Ir.
Hendri McLaine Pont. I concluded that the video probably made in the early 20 century and before 1920.
As I learnt, twenty century is the century of Asian African countries having their freedom from western occupation. Indonesians grab their freedom from the Dutch colonization on August 19, 1945, followed by other Asian African countries. Now, the legacy of the Dutch administration in Indonesia is physically witnessed in the form of old constructions which still stand until now across cities, big and small. Bandung is no exception.
As a city, Bandung was the most livable city during the colonization and given a nick name "Paris van Java" for its beauty and cool weather. Heritage buildings with art deco architecture stand in many places such as on Jalan Asia-Africa, Jalan Braga, and many others. Even UNESCO calls Bandung the city with the most complete and most complete art deco building in the world.
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| The Train Station in Bandung. |
The video showed Bandung in the old times in the early 20 century. In the beginning, it showed
the train station of Bandung in its original look before some major renovations. Bandung and its surrounding area, also known as Preanger, is endowed with fertile soil that during the times many coffee plantation with Preanger
Stelsel by the Dutch Planters sprung up.
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| Jalan Asia Africa, as seen from Alun Alun Bandung. |
In transporting coffee commodity from Priangan to Batavia (now Jakarta), the Dutch built a 184 km -train route
Buitenzorg (Bogor) - Bandung - Cicalengka. The development of train station in Bandung, now called
Stasiun Bandung, started in 1882 and finished on May 16th, 1884; acting as the Architect of development was Dr. Jan Willem Ijzerman.
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| De Groote Postweg or Jalan Raya Post. |
Then appears in the show
De Groote Postweg or Jalan Raya Post
, now called as Jalan Asia Africa, where stands the Museum of Asia Africa Conference in 1955. This historical road was part of a great road built connecting Anyer in Banten Province to Panarukan in Bondowoso, East Java Province on order of Herman Willem Daendeles, A Governor General of Dutch East Indies in 1808.
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| Alun Alun Bandung, as current. |
The development of De Grote Postweg marked the establishment of Bandung City in Priangan land. Originally, the centeral area of Priangan land was in
Dayeuh Kolot but on order of Daendeles to the Regent of Bandung regency, in 1810 it was moved to what now called as
Alun Alun Bandung closed to De Grote Postweg. This place was referred as the zero point of Bandung City sprawling toward all directions.
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| Grand Hotel Homann. |
The following also shows the sight of many old buildings including
the Hotel Homann in the original design, the first hotel in Bandung owned a German Family the Homann. The economic impact in the Priangan land as a result of train transportation from Bandung to Batavia brought about Bandung a recreation destination by wealthy planters, including sugar planters from Central and East Java. The Hotel Homann was the only hotel in Bandung.
The Hotel Homann, since then, experienced a number of major renovation. When established in 1871 it was mere a bamboe-house and called
Hotel Post Road, then renovated for the first time in 1883 into architect style of eclectic based on the work of Architect G Westerlo and named after the Homann Family,
The Hotel Homann.
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| Hotel Savoy Homann at Jalan Asia Africa No.112. |
The next renovation took place in 1910 and brought a new hotel name,
Grand Hotel Homann, by decorating with Art Nouveau in the architecture.
The last renovation happened in 1928 before the Asian African Conference held in Bandung in 1955 by bringing Art Deco style of architecture into the hotel design with A.F. Aabers as the Arcitect from The Architeture Bureau "Bennink & CO (https://www.savoyhomannbandung.com); and then saw the change of ownership from the Homann Family to Ferederick van Es and of hotel name from Grand Hotel Homann to
Hotel Savoy.
Toward the ending, it shows the sights of a building called
Maison Bogerijen. Maison Bogerijen is
the oldest restaurant on Jalan Braga (braga web) owned by L van Bogerijen.
In the old times, Maison Bogerijen was very famous and classy because it was the only restaurant visited by the Dutch kings.
At that time, Maison Bogerijen got privileges that are rarely found in other restaurants. The privilege is the permission to present Koningin Emma Taart and Wilhelmina Taart which is a typical food of the Dutch kingdom. Maison Bogerijen is now known as Braga Permai on Jalan Braga No.58, Bandung.Also shown in the video is an iconic building now known as
Gedung Sate, used to be the seat of the Dutch East Indies department of State Owned Enterprises (
Departement van Gouvernmentsbedrijven-GB).
Hopefully my writing on Bandung in the old times gives a fresh impression about Bandung as today and one day plan to visit a lovable city known in Indonesia as Kota Kembang or the Garden City. To those who ever stayed in or visited Bandung in the past, this posting I am sure have invoked fond memories of Paris van Java.
