Solo Sights

Sights in Solo

  1. Istana Mangkunegaran

    Dating back to 1757, the Istana Mangkunegaran is in good condition and is rewarding to visit. Technically a puri (palace) rather than a kraton (a kraton is occupied by the first ruling house), this is the home of the second house of Solo. It was founded after a bitter struggle against Pakubuwono II launched by his nephew Raden Mas Said (an ancestor of Madam Tien Suharto, the late wife of the former president). Also offers decent guided tours (in English). Members of the aristocratic family still live at the back of the palace.

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    #1 of 5 sights in Solo

    #2 of 48 things to do in Solo

  2. Radya Pustaka Museum

    The small Radya Pustaka Museum, next to the tourist office, has good displays of gamelan instruments, jewelled kris, wayang puppets from Thailand and Indonesia, a small collection of wayang beber (scrolls that depict wayang stories) and Raja Mala, a hairy puppet figurehead from a royal barge. Offerings must be made regularly to Raja Mala; otherwise, it is said, it will exude a pungent odour. The museum often closes earlier than the official closing time listed here.

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    #2 of 5 sights in Solo

    #3 of 48 things to do in Solo

  3. Danar Hadi

    This is a small museum big on batik, with a terrific collection of antique and royal textiles from Java, China and beyond. It occupies a stunning whitewashed colonial building. Entry includes a guided tour in English, which explains the history of the many pieces (10,000 in the collection), though no photos are allowed. There’s a workshop where you can watch craftswomen at work creating new masterpieces. There’s an upmarket storeroom and souvenir shop too.

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    #3 of 5 sights in Solo

    #4 of 48 things to do in Solo

  4. Kraton Surakarta

    Once the hub of an empire, today the Kraton Surakarta is a faded memorial of a bygone era. It’s worth a visit, but much of the kraton was destroyed by fire in 1985. Many of the inner buildings were rebuilt, but today the allure of this once-majestic palace has largely vanished and its structures left bare and unloved.

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    #4 of 5 sights in Solo

    #7 of 48 things to do in Solo

  5. Mesjid Agung

    On the western side of the alun-alun, Mesjid Agung, featuring classical Javanese architecture, is the largest and most sacred mosque in Solo.

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    #5 of 5 sights in Solo

    #10 of 17 architecture sights in Indonesia