Purwokerto

Purwokerto
City
Other transcription(s)
• Hanacaraka	ꦥꦸꦂꦮꦺꦴꦑꦺꦂꦠꦺꦴ
Purwokerto Main Street
Purwokerto Location of Purwokerto in Indonesia
Coordinates:
Country	Indonesia
Province	Central Java
Regency	Banyumas Regency
Area
• Total	38.58 km2 (14.90 sq mi)
Population (2010 Census)
• Total	233,951
• Density	6,100/km2 (16,000/sq mi)
Time zone	WIB (UTC+7)
Area code(s)	0281

A row of shops in Purwokerto

Purwokerto is a town on the island of Java, Indonesia. It is the capital of Banyumas Regency, Central Java region. The population of the town at the 2010 Census was 233,951

Geography

Purwokerto is located near the base of Mount Slamet, the second-tallest volcano in Central Java. The city is bisected by the Kali Kranji (Kranji River). It lies near two major east-west roads, Jalan Sudirman and Jalan Gatot Subroto. Its geographic location is .

History

The history of Purwokerto as the capital of the Banyumas Regency is intertwined with the history of Banyumas itself. Banyumas was established in 1582 by Raden Joko Kahiman. He later became the came the first regent, Duke Mrapat.

The Sultanate of Pajang

Following the unintentional killing of Adipati Wirasaba VI in District Lowano (now Purworejo), Sultan Hadiwijaya summoned Joko Kahiman, the dead man's son in law. The Sultan made Kahiman "Adipati Wirasaba VII" (regent of Wirasaba) and divided the Wirasaba regency into four parts,

• Banjar region given to Kyai Ngabei Wirayuda
• Meden territory given to Kyai Ngabei Wirakusuma
• Wirasaba territory given to Kyai Ngabei Wargawijaya
• Kejawar territory was controlled by the Sultan himself. There, he opened the mangli forest and named the area "Banyumas".

The capital of the Kejawar territory was in Banyumas. After the flood of 1861, the capital was moved to Purwokerto, which was located about 18 km further north.

Transport

A street in Purwokerto

Jenderal Sudirman street in Purwokerto

Air

Purwokero's nearest airport is the Tunggul Wulung airport in Cilacap township, approximately 40 km south of Purwokerto. Tunggul Wulung has direct flights (three times per week) from Halim Perdana Kusuma airport in Jakarta. The travel time from Jakarta to Cilacap is 45 minutes.

Train

Train is one of the main modes of transport to Purwokerto. All classes of ticket, from economy to first class, are available for trips on trains from Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta and Surabaya. The total journey from Jakarta is 6 hrs (first class) and 10 hrs (economy class).

Road

Intercity buses connect Purwokerto to other cities on the island. The Purwokerto bus terminal is the third largest terminal in Central Java province after Terboyo (Semarang) and Tirtonadi (Surakarta).

Places of interest

Alun-alun

Purwokerto's central public square, Indonesian: Alun-alun, has six banyan trees: a tree at each corner, and two in the center. The townsfolk often spend their leisure time in the shady square and it is a common place for children to play. Vendors in the square sell children's toys and local foods. On one side is the regional government building, Kabupaten. On the west side of the square is the Masjid Baitus Salam Mosque of Purwokerto. To the east is the old cemetery on Ragasemangsang Road.

Bank BRI Museum

Bank BRI Museum

Located in the city center, Bank BRI Museum was built and dedicated for the Bank BRI's founder, R.A. Wiriatmadja. Formerly named as De Purwakertosche Hulp-en Spaar Bank der Inlandsche Bestuur Ambtenaren in 1895, now Bank BRI is one of the largest bank in the nation, as well as the oldest in the nation. Displays a lot of collections of coin and money from the VOC era until present time.

Waterfall at Baturraden

Hot Spring Mineral Deposits in Baturraden

Baturraden

Baturraden, located 15 km north of Purwokerto is an area of typical highland country at the foot of the Gunung Slamet volcano. It is a popular site for local tourism, with a children's playground, hot springs, trekking and camping. There are two natural hot springs at Baturraden, namely Pancuran Telu and Pancuran Pitu. The campground is called Wana Wisata. Some hotels, villas and budget hotels are available in Baturraden.

Food

The Purwokerto local food includes mendoan (fermented soy bean covered in wheat flour dough and deep fried), ranjem, nopia and mino (small nopia), tempeh keripik and many different kinds of chips. Gethuk goreng, made of cassava and Javanese sugar is also available. It is sold by various shops under various names. Also, in the morning, one may find a serabi seller on almost every corner of town. One Purwokerto delicacy is soto. It is also made in the nearby town of Sokaraja. Purwokerto soto is made from chicken while that from Sokaraja contains beef. Both are different from other sotos in Indonesia, because they are mixed with a spicy nut sambal. The most famous soto sokaraja seller in Sokaraja is "Soto Kecik", near the Buddha's monastery.

Medical facilities

Purwokerto is a centre for medical care for the southern part of the Central Java Province. There are both public and private hospitals for both general and specialist care. They include:

• RSU Margono Soekarjo general hospital (Jenderal Soedirman University Teaching Hospital)
• RS DKT hospital
• RSIA Santa Elisabeth hospital
• RS Islam hospital
• RSIA Hidayah hospital
• RSIA Bunda hospital
• RSIA Ananda hospital
• RS Geriatri hospital (gerontology)
• RS Orthopedi hospital (orthopaedics).
• Jenderal Soedirman University Dental Hospital

The main state run hospital is Margono Soekarjo general hospital which is located on the eastern edge of Purwokerto. Its name is commonly shortened to "RS Margono Soekarjo". It was named after the first surgeon in Indonesia. The surgeon was born in Purwokerto and his grave is found in Pesarean Kebutuh, Sokaraja Kulon.

Schools

Jenderal Soedirman University is the main university in Purwokerto. It is located on the town's northern outskirts. There are many universities and academies in Purwokerto which serve the southern part of central Java. They include:

• Universitas Jenderal Soedirman (UNSOED)
• Universitas Muhammadiyah Purwokerto
• Universitas Wijaya kusuma
• Sekolah Tinggi Agama Islam Negeri Purwokerto
• Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Ekonomi Purwokerto
• Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Ekonomi Satria
• Sekolah Tinggi Manajemen Informatika & Komputer Widya Utama
• Sekolah Tinggi Teknik Wiworotomo
• Akademi Kebidanan YLPP
• Akademi Kesehatan Lingkungan
• Akademi Manajemen Informatika & Komputer
• Akademi Pariwisata “Eka Sakti”
• Akademi Perawat Muhammadiyah
• Politeknik Pratama

Notable People

• Tontowi Ahmad, badminton player
• Christian Hadinata, badminton player
• Purnomo, runner

See also

• Tunggul Wulung Airport

External links

• Purwokerto travel guide from Wikivoyage