Gereja Blenduk and Taman Srigunting History at Glance

Taman Srigunting or Srigunting Park, the bigest open space in Kota Lama (eng: Old Town) ares and Gereja Blenduk, the domed shaped church marked as the landmark in the heart of this almost three-century old neigborhood. Taman Srigunting in the old days was known as Parade Plein. The name was taken from the parade of the Dutch-Indies Army that often held on this park which cames from the military baracks not so far from it to the north. But long before its turn into a park or lets say a public open space, it was a cemetery or in Dutch known as kerkhof. It can be understood if it was an kerkhof as in the old days, most of the cemetery for the European was next to the church. Even the word kerkhof itself was taken from the word kerk and hof which literaly translated as church yard.

Koepelkerk or Gereja Blenduk as seen from
Srigunting Park on 2007

From Sriguntings park, if we faced to the west side, we’ll see the building that become one’s of the Semarang city landmark, Koepelskerk or widely known as Gereja Blenduk. According to an arcticles written in Locale Techniek in 1939, the structure once was destroyed by fire, caused by lightning strike. Its completely devastated the church as well as its archives, thus no accurate data about this church on its early day of its establishment. However, a walled marble inscription mentions that the present church, has been completely renewed in the years 1894-1895 by H. P. A. de Wilde and W. Westmaas as the architect. Actually this church has a similiar exterior with the Willemskerk, present-day Gereja Immanuel in Jakarta. But the architecture of that church is more strictly classical than Gereja Blenduk of Semarang. With the smaller scale of the facade, the charming towers next to the main entrance and the elegant crowning from the dome, this church has more cheerful character, then her stately sister in Batavia, old name for Jakarta during the colonial period. From the list of pastors commemorated in one’s of the walled inscription , it appears that reverend Fredericus Montanus, preacher at Semarang from 1778 to 1814, inaugurated Gereja Blenduk on October 19th 1794, made this church even older than the Gereja Immanuel in Jakarta.

The Parade Plein, as it appears on 1915. The muziektent in the left side is used as a place for the music performance, its commonly existed in the city-park. (source: Leiden University Library)

Srigunting park, now becomes one’s of the popular public space in Semarang city. Every day, many people spent their time over there. To study, to take a rest, or just spent their time with their friends. Anyway, more people comes to Srigunting park, the littering problem also become a threat to the park. wish the people who visit this park also taking a responsibility to keep it cleanliness every time. 

GRAND LAUNCHING SMANDA MOVIE SOCIETY

Anak-anak SMA 2 pulang sekolah lansgung cuss, ke Advis
buat ngikut acara launchingnya SMS.

Sabtu, 26 Januari 2008, Smanda Movie Society (SMS) akan mengadakan grand launchingnya. Hal ini merupakan suatu bentuk nyata bahwa SMS telah lahir di SMA 2 Semarang serta diantara perkumpulan-perkumpulan lainya yang telah eksis selama ini di lingkungan SMA 2 Semarang. Para kru SMS pun diliputi kecemasan akan batalnya acara grand launching ini akibat penggunaan ruang audio-visual (advis) oleh pihak sekolah. Padahal, selama seminggu sebelum hari-h, telah diinformasikan bahwa grand launching akan diadakan pada tanggal 26 Januari melalui poster dan pemberitahuan pesan. Dikarenakan SMS merupakan suatu perkumpulan dan bukan organisasi resmi dari sekolah, maka apabila ada pihak-pihak dari sekolah ingin menggunakan ruangan tersebut, acara grand launching pun terpaksa dibatalkan. Tidak dapat dibayangkan apabila hal tersebut benar-benar terjadi. Namun, kru SMS tetap optimis dalam persiapan untuk grand launching. Dan akhirnya, kecemasan tersebut tidak terbukti dan grand launching tetap dilaksanakan pada tanggal 26 Januari 2008.

Lagi pada nonton, seneng rasanya ya fasilitas sekolah bsa
bener-bener dimanfaatin ;)

Acara yang dipandu dua kru SMS, Tasyamedha dan Ayu Tantri, grand launching SMS dimulai pukul 13.00 WIB. Setelah ditampilkan penjelasan singkat mengenai SMS, acara utama yaitu pemutaran film Pirates of Caribean : At Worlds End pun dilangsungkan. Walupun hanya dipadati 66 penonton, namun acara berlangsung cukup meriah. Mayoritas penonton merasa puas pada acara hari itu. Namun ada juga yang mengeluhkan kualitas gambar di layar advis yang brightness-nya kurang.

Akhirnya SMS telah melakuakan kerja nyata di SMA 2 Semarang. Kami, kru SMS pun bertekad bahwa perkumpulan ini tidak hanya lahir sekali sesudah itu mati. Diharapkan akan dapat diteruskan oleh generasi-generasi adik kelas selanjutnya.

ES-EM-ES.............!!!!! ACTION!!!!!!!

Celebration! Abis klarr diangkat saya lgsng diguyur aer diluar -,-"

N.B : Mau merequest film untuk kegiatan selanjutnya, bisa di situs ini. Isi kolom shoutbox dengan judul film dan identitas diri kalian. Salam SMS!

The Sound of Jazz

Jazz….this kind of music genre it’s so close to us nowadays. Many of musician in our country now become Jazz musician. Now, how the origin of jazz it self? Find out more here…
Jazz is an original American musical art form that originated start from the 20th century in New Orleans, rooted in Afro-American musical styles blended with Western music technique and theory. Jazz uses blue notes, syncopation, swing, call and response, polyrhythms, and improvisation.

Based on wikipedia.org sites, Jazz has roots in the combination of Western and African music traditions. Actually, the Jazz music firstly played by the negro or Afro- American community in New Orleans, USA. Newly after 1920s Jazz styles influencing other musical styles.
Jazz music development is closely related with Lorenzo Tio and Scott Joplin . The early Jazz musician which have a lot of experience about music because both of them were schooled on classical European Musical Institution, that helped to preserve and disseminate the essentially improvisational musical styles of Jazz.

They also founded the postbellum network of black-established schools, as well as civic societies and widening mainstream opportunities for education, produced more formally trained Afro-American musicians.

Jazz is often difficult to define, but the improvisation is a key element of the form. Improvisation has been developed, since early times an essential element in African and Afro-American music and is closely related to the use of call and response in West African and African-American cultural expression.
Nowadays, after more than 1 century jazz was developed, Jazz divided into some genre. For example in Jazz we know the Dixieland, which many people in New Orleans play it in the early phase of Jazz; Swing Jazz which developed between 1900-1950, Latin Jazz which is a mixed between latin music with the jazz composition for example bossanova is a kind of latin Jazz too; Fusion Jazz developed between 1960 up to early of 1990’s, its compiled with the rock music style and fastly become a trend.It also influenced our country Jazz musician like Ireng Maulana, Dwiki Darmawan, Indra Lesmana, and his father Jack Lesmana.


Today, Jazz music hit the pop charts and blended with contemporary Urban music through the work of artists like Norah Jones, Josh Stone, Coco d'Or, Sergio Mendes Jamie Cullum, and Michael Bubble. Even in our country we can see Maliq n d’Essential, Tompi, Bali Lounge, Andez, and so on.

So, is this enough to opened your mind about Jazz? Maybe now you’re interested to become Jazzcats Guys?

Masjid Kampung Layur with Its "Lighthouse"

The main building and the minaret of the mosque.
Taken on 1930, and the basement are still visible
(Source: Tropenmuseum)

If we want to go to the Tawang Station via Berok Bridge, on the right side we could see a tower with an old lighthouse shaped. Firstly, i thought that it was a lighthouse, but when i went to the harbour area, the lighthouse is quite different with what i saw. So, i'll find out by myself. Then after asked one of my friend, he said that it wasn't a lighthouse but it was a mosque minaret building. Wow, i amazed to the statement of my friend. When i had my holiday, me with my friends decided to visit that mosque. It's easy to found it. Its Located in Layur street, on the of the riverside near the Tawang train station. Thats why its recognize as Masjid Kampung  Layur (eng: Kampoong Layur Mosque). This mosque was one's of the old mosque on Semarang City but it's still strong enough. Around the mosque area, known by Malay village, because it's dominated by Malay settler. On the previous time, the river beside the mosque area was crowded by a lot of boat through the river carrying the goods from the harbour.

The minaret of the Masjid Layur, shaped like
the lighthouse, taken on 2007.

Looked from the historical point of view,  Masjid Kampung Layur has an important role against the islam development around Semarang city bay area. from the architectural aspect, it have an unique mosque building form. Its not like an ordinary mosque building which built in Java. The main gate was dominated by middle-east architecture, with the minaret on the right side. There's a basement in this mosque and in the past its functioned as the access for the people from the river to directly berthed their boat and do the prayers. Then the nature cause related to the land subsidence are make it always filled with the water. Now the basement is "sinked" and closed already. Now the water debits are just the same with the main building. 

The taste of Javanese architectural are visible from the architectures of the main building. With the 3 level roof-shaped, its remembered us with the ordinary roof-shaped of Javanesse mosque. This mosque built on 1743, but still   attractive, even actively used by the people to did their daily worshiped. The majority part of Masjid Kampung Layur  is still original from the first time its existed. The renovation is only to change the roof condition and added a secretariat office on the right side of the main building.

Masjid Kampung Layur, the main building, taken on 2007

The Early Semarang Clean Water Instalation.

The Reservoir Siranda on 1913 (source: semarang.nl)

Water, the essential resources fo human life. Water cant be separated from the human life needs. That’s why the Semarang society thoughts to gain the water as easy as possible from their own homes. So, the Dutch-Indie government decided to built a pipe to distribute the water from Ungaran Mountainous area to the city of Semarang. The problem isn’t stop yet, because the water still need a place to keep it before its distributed to every people who need it. Then, the Dutch-Indie government starting to build 2 reservoir at Candi plain on the south of Semarang, there are Reservoir Siranda and Reservoir Jomblang. All of them are erected on 1912.

The appearance of this 2 reservoir is same each other. A dome-shaped building with a copula tower above it. As the entrance, there are a partition forming a gate with an ornament of arrow as the ventilation. The gate were built geometrically with a wings of triangle shaped on the right and left sides of the gate. The dome, filled with grass, remembered us to the home of the teletubies on the TV series. The difference between Siranda Revoir and Jomblang reservoir its their location toward the main road. The Siranda reservoir was located on the edge of Diponegoro street, one’s of protocol street that connected the low plain area on the north to the high plain area on the south. Whereas the Jomblang reservoir was located on the hill near the dr.Wahidin street. A whole building cant be seen from the street, only the dome with copula tower above it has visible from the street. Thus why the Jomblang reservoir are not familiar as Siranda’s.

Siranda reservoir also become the noiseless eyewitness to the heroic struggle of semarang citizen against the Japanese colonization. Dr. Kariyadi, a notable doctor in Semarang on that time was shooted to die by the Japanese soldier when he want to checked the water quality at Siranda reservoir, because there are a rumours that the Japanese were poisoned the water.  The people’s angry and foughts against Japanese soldier. These unbalanced conflict resulting many victims. The conflict happened during 5 days and it ends after the Allied force evacuated the Japanese soldier, and draw the Republican militia out of Semarang city.

Nowadays, both of Siranda and Jomblang reservoir managed by the National Water’s Company (PDAM) of Semarang Region. Both of them also still supplied the water need’s to all of the Semarang citizen.