Old City of Semarang a cause for preservationists' concern

By Tarko Sudiarno

SEMARANG (JP): It's mid-afternoon near the Tawang railway station. Dozens of people are engrossed in their fishing and even the busy traffic on the street between the station and the large pond does not seem to disturb them.

The big, muddy pond is not actually intended for people to spend lazy afternoons trying to catch fish. It's a drainage pool with a capacity of 10,000 cubic meters, built to catch rainwater during the wet season. It's because of the pool that people are still able to enjoy many of the old buildings in the Old City of Semarang, the historical area of Central Java's capital.

If it were not for the pool, all of the area's old buildings might have been seriously damaged by flooding.

The Semarang City administration built the pool to save the Old City from the floods and high tides that are the main enemy of the Semarang region in general, including the Old City area. Just half an hour of heavy rain can completely flood buildings in the area and it's even worse when there is a downpour during high tide.

Many of the old buildings' foundations and floors have sunk a few centimeters below the land surface; the main building of the railway station has reportedly dropped 50 centimeters.

Yet, the water catchment pond, with high-powered water pumps to divert the water to local canals, is helpful. But it does not solve the problem completely.

It is just one part of the continuing efforts to save the Old City from destruction. Much more needs to be done and the state of many of the old buildings is of great concern.

Homeless people have made some of the buildings their sleeping places at night and other forces of nature have also exacerbated the problems. For example, creeping plants occupy almost all the outside wall of Gedung Murba on Jl. Letjen Suprapto. The building, which is in the center of the Old City of Semarang and is currently the office of the local chapter of the Justice and Unity Party (PKP), is actually an outstanding example of architecture, but it's splendor has been blighted by the unrestrained plants and many broken windows.

Unfortunately, Gedung Murba is not an isolated example. Hundreds of other old buildings in the Old City are also poorly maintained, such as Lawang Sewu, the old City Hall, Gedangan Church and Tawang station, as well as buildings in the Candi area.

Occupying an area of some 70 hectares, the Old City of Semarang was built in the 1740s by the Dutch colonists and was one of the fast-growing cities on the north coast of Java. It was designed as a fortress city, with five main gates and canals surrounding its precinct.

Anti-Chinese unrest in 1842 led to the destruction of many buildings, however, the city was rebuilt and expanded in the process.

Architect Andy Siswanto, of the Old City Foundation (Yakoma), said that the concept and design of building facades in the Old City were unique in that they set out to create harmony between the buildings and the space. There were no fences or sidewalks separating buildings from the streets and passersby.

He added that the central point for all the buildings in the area was the Koepelkerk church, locally known as Gereja Blenduk (swelling church) because the building's dome swells like an onion.

Changing times

Andy and Yakoma have long struggled to preserve the Old City despite changing times. They have succeeded in saving several buildings from the wrecker's ball and paid careful attention to the area's environmental makeup.

"Some six years ago, the area was just like a devil's city. Now, although there are still many things to do, the area is in better condition, thanks to residents' awareness (of preservation)," Andy said.

He said it was crucial to involve the local community in the preservation campaign.

"Just expecting the government to take action is pointless because of its limited funds," he said.

Not everyone has been enthusiastic about preserving a legacy of the country's colonial past. Andy argued that preserving the area also meant that part of the nation's history lived on.

"No matter how bitter it was, we should never forget history," he said.

Preservation efforts are based on a two-pronged approach of conservation and revitalization. The former includes restoration, preservation and construction.

Revitalization is aimed at sprucing up the area by providing new buildings, especially for business purposes.

"The new buildings, however, should be situated in their proper place, meaning that they should not disturb the harmony of the Old City," Andy said.

Inviting businesses into the area is vital for its revitalization and Andy believes that it is important for investors to be given the freedom to conduct renovations on old buildings, which would best suit their business interests.

Yakoma and other heritage groups are pushing for the issuance of a regional regulation on the preservation of the Old City of Semarang.

"I do hope the regulation will benefit the local community. The government, in this case, should act more as an empowering agent as well as a facilitator for the Old City community than just as a holder of authority," Andy said.