Puro Mangkunegaran Solo


Indonesia - Jakarta - Kuta - Lombok - Semarang - Yogyakarta - Bali
The city of Solo is a major city in central Java, Indonesia. Together with Yogyakarta, the two cities are heirs of the Mataram kingdom which was split in 1755. The short name for Solo is Surakarta. Solo is situated at about 100 kilometers to the South of Semarang and some 60 kilometers east of Yogyakarta. Solo is the twin sister of Yogyakarta and the city looks pretty much the same as Yogyakarta. Solo is not a provincial capital and has hence preserved much of its Javanese character. This also means that Solo is less of a tourist destination than Yogyakarta.

Puro Mangkunegaran, Solo is a very beautiful and well maintained palace. The palace is located in the heart of Surakarta in Solo, in between Ranggowarsito, Kartini, Siswa and Teuku Umar streets. The construction of the Puro Mangkunegaran in Solo can be dated back to the year 1757. The entire construction process was done by the then Kanjeng Gusti Pangeran Adipati Aryo (K.G.P.A.A) – Mangkoenagoro. The word Adipati means junior king. The Mangkunagaran Principality was founded after a series of bitter struggles against his family and the Dutch V.O.C (East India Company).

The Mangkunegaran Palace in Solo is a classic repository of classical Javanese art and culture. Several numerous priceless treasures can be found at this royal estate which are believed to be from the Majapahit (1293 - 1478) and Mataram (1586 - 1755) empire eras. The palace also features an exquisite collection of dance masks, wayang orang (dance drama) costumes, leather and wooden wayang puppets, religious icons, jewelry, and uncountable other antiques and heirlooms.

Within the The Mangkunegaran Palace in Solo lies the Reksopustoko Library. The library boasts of rare volumes of literature, religion and philosophy which were written in Javanese characters. All the works are carefully preserved in the library.

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