Sights in Yogyakarta
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A
Benteng Vredeburg
On the opposite side of Jl A Yani, is the Benteng Vredeburg, a Dutch-era fort that’s been converted into a museum. It houses dioramas showing the history of the independence movement in Yogyakarta. The architecture is worth a look, but the dioramas are designed for Indonesian patriots.
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Kota Gede
Kota Gede has been famed as the hub of Yogya's silver industry since the 1930s. But this quiet old town, which is now a suburb of Yogya, was the first capital of the Mataram kingdom, founded by Panembahan Senopati in 1582. Senopati is buried in the small mossy graveyard of an old mosque to the south of the town's central market. You can visit Kota Gede, but be sure to wear conservative dress; on days when the tomb is closed there is little to see here.
Jl Kemasan, the main street leading into town from the north, is lined with busy silver workshops. Most of the shops have similar stock, including hand-beaten bowls, boxes, fine filigree and modern jewellery .
Kota Gede is a…
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B
Taman Sari
Just to the west of the kraton is the Taman Sari, which once served as a splendid pleasure park of palaces, pools and waterways for the sultan and his entourage. The Portuguese architect of this elaborate retreat, built between 1758 and 1765, was from Batavia - the story goes that the sultan had him executed in order to keep his hidden pleasure rooms secret.
The complex was damaged first by Diponegoro's Java War, and an earthquake in 1865 helped finish the job. While much of what you see today lies in ruins, the bathing pools have been restored. From the tower overlooking the pools, the sultan was able to dally with his wives and witness the goings-on below.
The entrance t…
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Affandi Museum
One of Indonesia’s most celebrated artists, Affandi lived and worked in a wonderfully quirky riverside house-cum-studio, about 6km east of the town centre. Today his former home is the Affandi Museum, which has an extensive collection of his paintings, including some astonishing self-portraits. Affandi’s work is displayed in two large Gaudiesque buildings that he designed himself and also contain a few personal items, including a boy racer’s dream: a lime-green-and-yellow customized 1967 Galant car with an oversized rear spoiler.
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Tembi
Down in the deep south of the city, Tembi is a Javanese cultural centre in a lovely position surrounded by rice paddies. The fine old wooden houses here contain an outstanding collection of kris, a few wayang puppets, batik and basketry and some historic photographs of Yogya. There’s a highly recommended restaurant and accommodation too. To get to Tembi, jump aboard any bus bound for Parangtritis beach from Jl Parangtritis and get off at kilometre 8.4 on the highway; Tembi is 400m east of here along a side road.
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C
Sono-Budoyo Museum
Across the main square in front of the kraton, Sono-Budoyo Museum is the pick of Yogya’s museums, even if it is dusty and dimly lit. It has a first-class collection of Javanese art, including wayang kulit puppets, topeng (masks), kris and batik. It also has a courtyard packed with Hindu statuary and artefacts from further afield, including superb Balinese carvings. Wayang kulit performances are held here.
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Sacred Tomb
This quiet old town Kota Gede, which is now a suburb of Yogyakarta, was the first capital of the Mataram kingdom, founded by Panembahan Senopati in 1582. Senopati is buried in the small mossy graveyard of an old mosque located to the south of the town’s central market. You can visit the sacred tomb, but be sure to wear conservative dress when visiting. On days when the tomb is closed there is not much to see here.
reviewed
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D
Taman Sari
Just southwest of the kraton is this complex, which once served as a splendid pleasure park of palaces, pools and waterways for the sultan and his entourage. The Portuguese architect of this elaborate retreat, built between 1758 and 1765, was from Batavia – the story goes that the sultan had him executed in order to keep his hidden pleasure rooms secret.
reviewed
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E
Museum Sasana Wiratama
In the northwest of the city, 1.5km west of the Tugu train station, this museum honours the Indonesian hero Prince Diponegoro, who was leader of the bloody but futile rebellion of 1825–30 against the Dutch. A motley collection of the prince’s belongings and other exhibits are kept in the small museum at his former Yogya residence.
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F
Pakualaman Kraton
The small Pakualaman Kraton, 1km east of Benteng Vredeburg, houses a small museum, a pendopo that can hold a full gamelan orchestra, and a curious colonial house. Outside opening times you can explore the grounds.
reviewed
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Gembira Loka Zoo
Yogya’s Gembira Loka Zoo, about 5km east of Jl A Yani, has its fair share of cramped cages, but on the whole it is spacious and has some interesting exotica such as some Komodo dragons, which are successfully breeding.
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G
Museum Kareta Kraton
Near the kraton entrance, Museum Kareta Kraton has exhibits of the opulent chariots of the sultans, although the bug-eyed horse statues are almost more interesting than the main event.
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Kraton
The cultural and political heart of this fascinating, independently minded city is the huge palace of the sultans of Yogya, or kraton.
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Museum Kekayon
This museum is dedicated to the history of Indonesian people and has a priceless antique wayang collection gathered from all over the nation.
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H
Sasmitaluka Jenderal Sudirman
This is the memorial home of General Sudirman, who commanded revolutionary forces and died shortly after the siege of Yogya in 1948.
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Pasar Ngasem
At the edge of Taman Sari, Yogya’s bird market is a colourful menagerie crowded with hundreds of budgerigars, orioles and singing turtle doves. Pigeons are the big business here (for training, not eating), but occasionally owls and raptors are also sold.
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