The History of Gedung Sate

By: Yemi Yunita

Gedung Sate well known as the symbol of Bandung city and it also can be a tourist spot which attract the domestic and foreign tourists. The building was built by architect J Gerber in the July 27 1920s, the Dutch East Indies government made plans to move the capital of Dutch East Indies from Batavia to Bandung. It is located at 22 Diponegoro Street. It is called Gedung Sate because of its decorative roof ornaments which similar with sate stick, a common food made by Indonesian. The building was built with the total cost around 6 millions gulden. It is the first building that made by supported actual technology in Indonesia. Gedung Sate becomes an example for several other building in West Java, such as the building of railway station in Tasikmalaya.

During the Dutch colonial time, Gedung Sate was known as the Gouvernements Bedrijvenor GB. The first stone was laid by Johanna Catherina Coops, the eldest daughter of the mayor of Bandung, B. Coops and his wife Petronella Roelofsen, which were the representatives of the Governor-General in Batavia, J.P. Graaf van Limburg Stirum, at 27 July 1920. The building is the result of a planning team that was made up from Ir. J. Gerber, a young architect with name from theTechnische Universiteit Delft in the Netherlands, Ir. Eh. De Roo and Ir. G Hendriks from the local government of Bandoeng.

Gedung Sate is used as the office for the governor and vice-governor sinde 1980, but also as the main building of the governmen of the province of West Java. Earlier they were located in Gedung Kerta Mukti in Jalan Braga. The offices of the governor and vice-governor are located at the second floor of the building. Not all employees around them work at Gedung Sate, some of them work in Gedung Baru.

The uppermost floor is called the Tower of Gedung Sate. This floor can not be seen from downstairs. To reach the floor you have to use the old wooden stairs or a modern elevator. The perfectness of Gedung Sate was completed with the construction of Gedung Baru, which used parts of the original architecture of Gedung Sate to keep the building in context with the older one, was completed in 1977 and was to be used for the House of Representatives of the province of West Java for its daily activities.

Gedung Sate has now become one of the tourist attractions in the city of Bandung. Many visitors from abroad visit Bandung because of their historic relation with this building and the city as well. The historic feeling of this building can best be absorbed then climbing the wooden stairs towards the tower of the building. There are six stairs which have to be ascended before you reach the top.

The beauty of Gedung Sate is completed by the decorative and lush gardens that surround the building and are well cared for. There is no fear that local as well as foreign visitors have to be worried about that. Because of its beauty, the gardens are regularly used for shooting family pictures, music clips for local or national artists or love couples.

Every Sunday, the area around Gedung Sate is opened for public, so they can spend their free day of the week here enjoying the gardens and fresh air of the city or to do some light sporting activity.

Many foreign tourist come to Bandung to see building because they feel an emotional connection to history of Gedung Sate. The well maintaned gardens surrounding Gedung Sate add to its beauty. Especially on Sunday morning, the green areas around Gedung Sate have become a popular choice for people to relax with their family just sitting or doing sport.

Gedung Sate consist 4 floors. The first floor is reception hall, directly straight to the Rhinoceros Unicornis bronze statue. It is often used to hold the Sundanese Music Show when there is the formal visiting or formal ceremony held. Gedung Sate also situated with a sweeping view to Bandung’s famous volcano, Tangkuban Perahu, as well as surrounded by trees, gardens, and prestigious home in the heart of the Garden City district.