Jurnatan Heritage Site in Memoriam

On the leftside were aerial photos of Jurnatan Central Station, the Bank of Taiwan, and KNIMC. On the right side were the current condition, all of them were changed into shopping complex. (source: Wikimapia and Google Earth)

The development of a civilization can’t separated by the story from the past. That’s the importance of learning history, therefore the needs of acknowledgement of history plus the preservation of historical sites is the duties for those who were becoming a “successor” of a civilization. Here in Semarang, lack of the awareness truly jeopardized these, especially for the historical sites preservations efforts. But I think, its not only in Semarang but all over the world which belongs to development countries. It’s a common problems there, where’s the preservation efforts which related faced with the economics problems like,” how we could use it to fulfilling the daily needs?”. Commonly, they takes the short ways, to demolished it then changed into something that could give the high return in a short time. To built a residences or a business complex above it because of the needs are so high.

Jurnatan Centraal Station in 1927, the centre of tram services all around
Semarang. This station belongs to Samarang Joana Stoomtram-Maatschappij.
(Source: KITLV)

I’m gonna shared one’s of the biggest loss in Semarang, related to the Historical sites. It’s in the Jurnatan where once there’s a Jurnatan Station, Bank of Taiwan and Indische Motor Club building stood in this more than 10 acres large area, but now, no one’s survive. A business complex built above this area in the last decades of 80’s. The Jurnatan Station that owned by Semarang-Joana Stoomtram Maatschapijj are the biggest building here. This was the centre of City Tram services in Semarang which started in 1889.  The Tram services were closed under the Japanese occupation, and the Station converted into City Terminal in 1974, with still maintaining some parts of the station like the unique platform that decorated by stained glass decoration still preserved.  Around 1986, its completely demolished to built a newly business complex called Jurnatan Business Center. Here is the list of the notable buildings that lost in the area of Jurnatan.

1. Jurnatan Centraal Station, the Railways Station owned by Semarang Joana Stoomtram Maatschappij that served the line between Semarang until the North-Coast City (Indonesia: Pantai Utara or simply known as Pantura) like Demak, Kudus, Rembang, Pati, etc, also served the City Tram services in Semarang.
2. Insulinde Bike Factory.
3. Bank of Taiwan Office
4. Koninklijke Nederlands Indie Motor Club (KNIMC) Headquarters
5. Wurttembergische Kazerne
6. Centraal Gevangenis
7. Semarang Wees- en Boedelkamer (Weeskamer)

Wat Jammer! Just try to observed the aerial photos of these area were totally awesome and doesn’t make sense, how such that big area with the enormous buliding on it were demolished. Changed into such a unartistic building used as a business complex. Due to the low quality structure, currently most of the block on that sites were abandoned. Still felt so curious about the reason behind it anyway behind the destruction of this sites. but this was a proof that once u’ve false deciding something, it wouldn’t hard to changed its back, think twice before! ;)

The Story Behind Tangsi Mrican

The aerial photos of  Vrije Emigratie (VEDA) in Lamper Tengah, Semarang. The building itself now become the properti of Angkatan Darat (Indonesian Army) and used as housing complex and well knowed as Tangsi Mrican(source: Royal Tropical Institute) 

The Small Hall, located in the center of the
complex, current condition (above) and
in the past (below) showing the activity of
depositing money and delivering packages
by emigrants
(source: Royal Tropical Institute)

Hello world! Long time no posts, and things are getting so vulnerable to ill in this pancaroba season, a transition from wet season to dry season. Well on early of January, I’ve visited a place that during my Junior High School, every sport activity, I was passed through the area but haven’t know yet if the area has a important historical value, despite the building itself are in the old forms. Its Tangsi Mrican, a military housing complex that recently I’ve just realized that in the past it’s a transit camp for the plantantion labour from all over Java before they were sent to the various location in Sumatera called Vrije Emigratie (V.E.D.A) that owned by Algemeene Vereeniging voor Ruberplanters ter Oostkust van Sumatera (A.V.R.O.S), one’s of the leading  plantantion company in Sumatera Island. It has role as a mediator of labor among about 150 plantation companies that consist of private domestic ownership, private foreign ownership, and the state ownership. The major commodities are rubber, cacao, sugar, and palm oil. An indexes that containing the digitalized document about the site was founded in Royal Tropical Institute sites, thanks anyway for mas Khrisna Wariyan for the sites! Anyway on the introduction, its written

Een in Oktober 1927 door den Chef der Vrije Emigratie te Semarang samengstelde brochure over de Vrije Emigratie werd door de Deli Plantersvereeniging uitgeven als Medeeling No. 17 Teneide omtrent de Vrije Emigratie, sedert 1928 een gezamenlijke instelling van de Deli Plantersvereeniging (D.P.V) en de Algemeene Vereeniging voor Ruberplanters ter Oostkust van Sumatera (A.V.R.O.S), haar organitasatie en werkwijze belangsellenden in een kart bestek te kunnen voorlichten, beslaten wij over te gaan tot een nieuwe bewerking van bovenbedoelde publicatie, doch in beknopter vorm en verlucht door een aantal afbeeklinger Moge dit werjke medewerken om meerde bekendheid te gevea aan het instituut der Vrije Emigratie (V.E.D.A)

Medan, 1 December 1929

Het Bestuur der Vrije Emigratie

van D.P.V en A.V.R.O.S

This Inleiding on the journals, principally explaining that in order to creates a good administration and education for the labours, related to the orientation in the destination and also the kind of new method, so its decided to built the Vrije Emigratie (V.E.D.A) in Semarang, to achieved all of the objectives above. According to Mahandis Yoananta, a National Geographic reporters, AVROS prefers to recruited its labor from Java and China (see also His articles here). Then the question was, why its should be Javanese and Chinese? Its because of locals there was short in supply and native Malay was not interested work in the plantation company. The words Vrije Emigratie  (eng: Free emigration) means recruitment that based on links between Laukehs (old countrymen who had worked in the plantation) and Sinkehs (new comers) in the same village. VEDA had branches in Purwokerto, Purworejo, and Madiun, later in Meester Cornelis (Batavia) and Surabaya and sub-branches everywhere in Java. Following the nationalization of foreign company during the Banteng Program, the AVROS also nationalized by the government of Indonesia, and since 1967, the premises of AVROS is property of The BKS-PPS (Badan Kerja Sama Perusahaan Perkebunan Sumatera).

The houses in front of VEDA Semarang, the left photos showing the arrival of the returnees by VEDA bus from the harbour of Semarang (source: Royal Tropical Institute) and on the right side is the current condition of the houses there.

The VEDA building currently became the property of Angkatan Darat (Indonesian Army) and used as the camp for the army personnel. The forms was still not changes a lot, but a lots of replenishment occurred, and some were destruct the original construction. The main hall, the biggest one’s in the back section, were torned down, and being built new housing complex, only the small hall remains. Visiting the VEDA building, were remembered me about the story from my friends, a locals from Pematang Siantar, North Sumatera. He told me that a lot of Javanese lived in his city, and a lot of Javanese settlement were existed over there, majority, they were a plantation workers. Its true then from my friends story and this is, the VEDA building are the proof of the emigration flow of Javanese people to the plantation in the North Sumatera region.

The route of Javanese workers emigration from Dutch Indies (present day
Indonesia) to Suriname, taken from the documentary titled Javanen uit
Suriname in 1987 by Fons Grasveld.

Another interesting story was, this Javanese people also those who were later emigrated to Suriname. I got this fact from the Dutch documentary film made in 1987 titled Javanen uit Suriname by Fons Grasveld. One's of the descendant of the Javanese people in Suriname recount the story from His father that they comes from North Sumatera. Most of them were "fooled" by the promise of the recruitment agency that offers them a better condition than in Deli. Its indeed the harsh condition experienced by these workers in Deli plantation from underpaid, overworked, even tortured for those who tried to resisted against the law. The people then accepted this offers and they realized that its even took farther journey, and much much less possibility to them to returns to Java.

P.S.  Another photos, kindly check lopenSMG fanpage album here , thanks for the pict Mbak Tami and Lovink!