Solo Balapan Railway Station

Solo Balapan Railway Station

Solo Balapan railway station, or more popularly known as Balapan station, is the oldest and the biggest station not only in Surakarta but also in the southern part of Central Java. Has been operated since 1873, the station is located in Wolter Monginsidi Street No. 112, Kestalan, Banjarsari, Surakarta, Central Java 57133. The location is right to the west of Ayu Balapan Market. Balapan station is the main station in Solo and belongs to the Operation Region VI Yogyakarta. This station serves several tracks in various classes, including Executive, Business, Economy, and local train or commuter lines. It connects Solo to other cities in Java Island, such as Bandung, Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Malang, Madiun, and Surabaya.

Solo City

Solo is the popular name of Surakarta. It is an autonomous city that belongs to the administrative region of Central Java Province. The city abuts on Karanganyar Residence, Boyolali, and Sukoharjo. On the eastern side of the city, lies Bengawan Solo River, the longest river in Java Island. Similar to Yogyakarta, Solo or Surakarta is the successor of Mataram Sultanate based on Giyanti Treaty. Before joining to the Republic of Indonesia, Solo was ruled under the authority of Susuhunan Surakarta and Adipati Mangkunegaran. On mid-July 1950, Surakarta Residency (Karesidenan Surakarta) was officially removed, making Solo included as one of the administrative regions in Central Java Province.

Solo is famous as the center of Javanese culture, as stated in its tourism slogan, “Solo, the Spirit of Java.” The tourism sector of this beautiful city does indeed focus on the attraction of cultural heritage. Solo even includes a cultural festival in its annual tourism agenda. One of the most popular festivals is Solo Batik Carnival.

Interesting Facts about Solo

The history of Balapan station

The name of Balapan Station was actually originated from a historical story. In about 1890, the area in which the station lies nowadays was a northern town square of Mangkunegaran Palace. At that time, the area was used as a place for a horse race, or ‘balapan kuda’ in Bahasa Indonesia. That is why this station is now called Balapan Station.

The station is popular because of a Keroncong Dangdut song

In the past, Balapan Station was only popular among local villagers. However, in 1999, Didi Kempot, a Solo keroncong singer created a song entitled “Setasiun Balapan.” The song turned out to be successful and known by people living in other parts of Indonesia. The song’s success makes Balapan Station popular until many people want to visit the actual place that is cited in the song.

The City of Batik

Frequently called as the city of batik, Solo is in fact, a perfect place for those who want to know and learn more about batik. The city has two popular batik villages: Kampung Batik Laweyan and Kampung Batik Kauman. Those villages are the center of batik production and trade. When visiting both villages, you can buy batik in various styles and patterns, or you can watch and learn how to make batik, directly taught by the craftsman. In addition to batik villages, Solo also owns a batik museum with the most elaborate collection in Indonesia, namely Batik Danar Hadi Museum.

The role of Joko Widodo

Another reason why Solo is popular in Indonesia is Joko Widodo. Solo is the birthplace of Joko Widodo, former governor of DKI Jakarta and the current president of Indonesia. Before elected as the president, Joko Widodo who was also the former mayor of Solo has achieved a number of accomplishments in developing Solo to be the beautiful city as it is today. Some of them are the entitlement of Solo as “The Spirit of Java,” market revitalizing, and Esemka car.