Senen

Plaza Atrium Senen, stood on former Senen Triangle.

Senen (meaning Monday in Indonesian) is one of the historic subdistricts of Central Jakarta, Indonesia. The Subdistrict is centered at the 18th-century established Pasar Senen ("Senen Market").[1] The Subdistrict of Senen is historically one of the oldest market and entertainment areas of Weltevreden. Some of the important landmarks of the Senen subdistrict are the Museum of Indonesian National Awakening (formerly the STOVIA medical school) and the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Indonesia.

Senen subdistrict is roughly bounded by a railway line to the east and Ciliwung River to the west. The area is mainly served by Senen railway station and Senen bus terminal which is served by both Transjakarta and Kopaja bus services. Some of the important roads of the area are Kramat Raya Road (the main road that formerly linked Jakarta with Jatinegara) and Senen Raya Road (the focal point of the Senen market).

History

Pasar Senen

Early 20th century photo of Pasar Senen

The historic part of Senen is mainly concentrated on the Senen administrative village where Pasar Senen (Indonesian "Monday Market") was first established. Senen was developed in 1733 by Dutch entrepreneur Justinus Vinck after the Dutch government built the new town, Weltevreden, in south of Batavia. Pasar Senen (Indonesian "Monday Market") was established by Vinck in 1735 at the same time with the establishment of Pasar Tanah Abang (Indonesian "Tanah Abang Market") to the west. The two markets are some of Jakarta's oldest markets and entertainment areas.[1] Today they are linked by Kwitang street and Kebon Sirih street.

By the late 1950s, Pasar Senen had deteriorated into a slum and home to criminal gangs, illegal gambling, prostitutes, and pickpockets. During the period, the Planet Senen complex near Pasar Senen railway station was Jakarta's largest red light district.[1]

Proyek Senen, a revitalization of Pasar Senen initiated in the 1960s.

In 1962, the Jakarta city government and several private investors formed PT. Pembangunan Jaya as a joint public-private partnership to revitalize the Senen district and replace the old shops. The strategy, known as the Proyek Senen ("Project Senen") replaced the old shops with a complex of modern shopping center, consisting of six modern market blocks numbered I to VI. Construction of Block I started in 1962 and was completed in 1966. The last Block VI was completed in 1977. A new bus terminal was built adjacent to Block VI in 1980.[1][2]

In 1990, the government built a modern shopping center, the Atrium which before 1997 Asian financial crisis hosted the international brand of Yaohan and Mark & Spencer as its anchor tenant.

Planet Senen

Senen Station, the main station of Senen Subdistrict.

Planet Senen was located next to Pasar Senen station and across from the Senen bus terminal. The place was at that time the largest red light district of Jakarta, as well as a meeting place for young poets and artists in the 1950s-1960s.[1] Many artists, poets, and writers began their career in Planet Senen, among them being Benyamin Sueb, Bing Slamet, and Misbach Yusa Biran.

In 1973, as part of the revitalization strategy of Pasar Senen, the Planet Senen prostitution and illegal gambling complex was shut down.[1] Historian Alwi Shahab said the Senen prostitutes were later moved to Kramat Tunggak, North Jakarta, by governor Ali Sadikin.[3]

Eventually the popularity of Planet Center with the artists began to fade as most poets and artists started to go to the nearby Taman Ismail Marzuki arts center on Jl. Cikini Raya in the Menteng district.[3] Planet Senen as a youth center was later inaugurated by the governor of Jakarta, Ali Sadikin, on 27 August 1974, as part of his efforts to improve the area's condition.[3]

On 15 January 1974, students from the Planet Senen youth center demonstrated against the government’s policy regarding the role of foreign investment in Indonesia. Beginning in front of Senen market, the demonstration led to a series of riots known as the Malari incident.

Present time

Today Pasar Senen is one of six Jakarta trade centers along with Glodok, Mangga Dua, Jatinegara, Tanah Abang, Pasar Baru and Blok M.

In 2005, the city administration planned to revitalize the whole Senen commercial area, including the bus terminal and station. However, the revitalization plan has not begun.[3]

Kelurahan (administrative village)

The subdistrict of Senen is divided into six administrative villages (kelurahan):

The location of the Kwitang book market.
The southernmost area of Senen Subdistrict and the location of the University of Indonesia and Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital.

List of important places

Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia during the 1970s.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Merrillees 2015, p. 136.
  2. ↑ http://www.arsitekturindis.com/?p=257
  3. 1 2 3 4 Tifa Asrianti. "Planet Senen Youth Center in need of a revamp". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 18 February 2010.

Cited works

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Senen.

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 8/6/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.