Senen
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Senen is a long-established urban district of
Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...
,
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
that has kept many tourist attractions such as two museums, the National Library of Indonesia and Gelanggang Remaja Senen, a quite narrow alley with old Chinese and similar style shops and restaurants. It was first developed in the 18th-century as ''Pasar Senen'' when governor
Daendels Herman Willem Daendels (21 October 1762 – 2 May 1818) was a Dutch revolutionary, general and politician who served as the 36th Governor General of the Dutch East Indies between 1808 and 1811. Early life Born in Hattem, Netherlands, on 21 Octobe ...
established the ''bovenstad'' ("the upper town") as the new center of government of the fledgling city (then known as Batavia). Its kernel remains in what is now the formal lower-tier Village/Neighbourhood of Senen, within, the others being Kwitang, Kenari, Paseban, Kramat, and Bungur. This article covers the archetypal core and the whole
Subdistrict A subdistrict or sub-district is an administrative division that is generally smaller than a district. Equivalents * Administrative posts of East Timor, formerly Portuguese-language * Kelurahan, in Indonesia * Mukim, a township in Brunei, In ...
of
Central Jakarta Central Jakarta ( id, Jakarta Pusat) is one of the five administrative cities () which form the Special Capital Region of Jakarta. It had 902,973 inhabitants according to the 2010 censusBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and 1,056,896 at the 2 ...
.


Toponym

The name abbreviates Pasar Senen, "Monday Market".


Limits

The limits are a railway line to the east,
Ciliwung River Ci Liwung (often written as Ciliwung; also as Tjiliwoeng in Dutch, Sundanese: ᮎᮤᮜᮤᮝᮥᮀ) is a 119 km long river in the northwestern region of Java where it flows through two provinces, West Java and the special region of Jakarta. ...
to the west, Jalan Pramuka Street to the south, and Jalan Abdul Rahman Saleh-Kwini II-Senen Raya IV (Jalan meaning road/street) to the north.


Transport

The district is served with
Pasar Senen railway station Pasar Senen Station is a railway station located in Jakarta, Indonesia. It is the second largest railway station in Jakarta after Gambir Station. It is located close to Pasar Senen market area in Senen, Senen, Central Jakarta. Pasar Senen only se ...
and Senen bus/coach terminal/station for
Transjakarta TransJakarta (stylised as transjakarta, often erroneously called Busway) is a bus rapid transit (BRT) system in Jakarta, Indonesia. The first BRT system in Southeast Asia, it commenced operations on 15 January 2004 to provide a fast public trans ...
and
Kopaja Koperasi Angkutan Jakarta or Kopaja (Jakarta Transport Cooperative) is a cooperative established in 1971 to provide public transport services in Jakarta. There were reportedly over 1,400 minibuses in the Kopaja fleet in mid-2012, more than half ...
bus services. Important roads include Kramat Raya road (the main road that formerly linked Jakarta with Jatinegara) and Senen Raya street (the focal point of the Senen market).


Local government

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


History


Early establishment of Pasar Senen

Following the establishment of the upper town (''bovenstad'') of Batavia, Justinus Vinck, a Dutch entrepreneur, decided to develop two markets to serve the upper town. On 30 August 1733, Vinck established two markets: Pasar Tanah Abang (erroneously spelled as ''Tanabang'') to the southwest of
Koningsplein Koningsplein ('King's Square') is a square in Amsterdam. It is located between the Singel and Herengracht canals. It has become a meeting place for the local community References External links TERENA Webcam Koningsplein, Amsterdam via TEREN ...
and Pasar Senen (variously spelled as ''Pasar Senin, Bazaar Senin, Passar Senen, Passer Senen'') to the east of Koningsplein and its broader Weltevreden suburb (meaning well-contented), a European-centric neighborhood of the upper town. Both markets were connected with a road simply known as ''weg van Tanabang naar Weltevreden'', which would later become Jalan Kwitang & KH. Wahid Hasyim. The market site stood straddling today's ''Segitiga Senen'' ("Senen Triangle") and Pasar Senen (the government-owned market between the train station and Senen street). In the beginning of the 19th-century, Pasar Senen became the focal point of Weltevreden, hosting the military heart of Weltevreden, the ''Kampementen'' along the road from the old town to
Meester Cornelis Jatinegara (originally known as Meester Cornelis or Meester for short) is one of the districts (''Kecamatan'') of East Jakarta, Indonesia. The name also refers to the larger, historic area of the colonial town of Meester Cornelis. Established in ...
(Matramanweg, then Kramat Raya / Salemba Raya streets). Settlements also prospered along this road, such as Kampung Kwitang, Kampung Kramat and Kampung Salemba or Slemba. Several forts and military complex were established to keep the security of the road. Pasar Senen also became the gateway of the city for people coming from the kampung, to the east.


Modern colonialism

As time went on, Pasar Senen grew into a mainly Chinese commercial center. Its heart became partly filled with Chinese-style shop houses and narrow alleyways (Dutch ''gang n'). Among these were Gang Wang Seng, Gang Kenanga Noord, Gang Kenanga Zuid in what is now Segitiga Senen; and Gang Senen Binnen in what is now Pasar Senen. The road to or from Meester Cornelis thrived as well. It was much-lined with the formidable façades of a three key employment sites with commanding
Ciliwung Ci Liwung (often written as Ciliwung; also as Tjiliwoeng in Dutch, Sundanese: ᮎᮤᮜᮤᮝᮥᮀ) is a 119 km long river in the northwestern region of Java where it flows through two provinces, West Java and the special region of Jakarta. ...
river views behind: the
STOVIA The ("school for the training of native physicians") or STOVIA was a medicine school in Batavia, now Indonesia's capital Jakarta. The school was officially opened in March 1902 in a building that is now the Museum of National Awakening in Welt ...
, an opium factory, and a military complex. In the late 19th-century, Pasar Senen was traversed by a railway and street tramlines. In 1886, a railway station was established to the east of Pasar Senen, serving as logistic station for the area. A newer station was built a few yards to the east of the older station in 1925. Pasar Senen became Jakarta's busiest commercial and entertainment center. The beginning of 20th century saw several theatres/cinemas set up locally such as the Rex and Grand Theater Cinemas.


Post-independence period

Following the independence of Indonesia, people from around Indonesia began to flock to the new capital of the country in search for possibilities not available in their regional homelands. Pasar Senen area, originally a Chinese-dominated area, became populated by Bantenese, West Javanese, Padang (Minangkabau) and
Batak Batak is a collective term used to identify a number of closely related Austronesian ethnic groups predominantly found in North Sumatra, Indonesia, who speak Batak languages. The term is used to include the Karo, Pakpak, Simalungun, Toba, ...
traders and employees during the 1950s. By the late 1950s, Pasar Senen had deteriorated into a slum and home to criminal gangs, illegal gambling, prostitutes, and pickpockets. This reputation continues to this day despite the multiple revitalization of the area. During the period, part, especially next to
Pasar Senen railway station Pasar Senen Station is a railway station located in Jakarta, Indonesia. It is the second largest railway station in Jakarta after Gambir Station. It is located close to Pasar Senen market area in Senen, Senen, Central Jakarta. Pasar Senen only se ...
became Jakarta's main red light district. Economically and socially marginalized people were drawn to Senen, such as the homeless, market sellers, prostitutes, criminals, gamblers, and lower-income artists and contract laborers. The red light district received the nickname "Planet Senen", a playful 1960s term alluding to the
Space Race The Space Race was a 20th-century competition between two Cold War rivals, the United States and the Soviet Union, to achieve superior spaceflight capability. It had its origins in the ballistic missile-based nuclear arms race between the tw ...
between the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
and the United States, to refer its relative isolation from the rest of Jakarta. This was quoted as "a black place (''daerah hitam''), a place without a master/rules, with dead bodies on the side of the road. Quasi-prostitution was common in downtown Senen, doger dancers (''penari doger''). The dances are performed by women wearing a very tight and very thin
kebaya A kebaya is an upper garment traditionally worn by women in Southeast Asia, notably in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Southern Thailand. Outside of Southeast Asia, it is worn by Javanese, Malays and Portuguese Eurasians in Australi ...
dress and a batik cloth. They wore locally-made lipstick and powder as imported cosmetics were too dear. These dancers were mostly immigrants from eastern provinces such as Klender and
Bekasi Bekasi (, su, ) is a city in West Java, Indonesia, located on the eastern border of Jakarta.the city of planet Bekasi is his nickname.It serves as a commuter city within the Jakarta metropolitan area. According to the 2020 Census by Statistics ...
. Such dancers began to earn from the early evenings onwards. Men may touch and kiss them for a price. Such paid performance and companionship even took place in carriages when close to the
Pasar Senen railway station Pasar Senen Station is a railway station located in Jakarta, Indonesia. It is the second largest railway station in Jakarta after Gambir Station. It is located close to Pasar Senen market area in Senen, Senen, Central Jakarta. Pasar Senen only se ...
. Planet Senen also became a popular meeting place for young artists, poets, and writers in the 1950s and '60s. Every such ''Seniman Senen'' (senen artist), would congregate in local venues to discuss philosophies and aesthetics of Jakarta. Among these were
Sukarno M. Noor Soekarno M. Noor ( Perfected Spelling: Sukarno M. Noor; September 13, 1931 – July 26, 1986) was an Indonesian actor and film producer. He acted in 118 films and dramas. Biography His parents, M. Noer and Djanimah, came from Bonjol, West Sum ...
,
Rendra Karno Raden Soekarno ( Perfected Spelling: Sukarno; 7 May 1920 – 27 November 1985), better known as Rendra Karno, was an Indonesian actor. Born in Kutoarjo, Central Java, Soekarno entered the film industry in 1941, making his debut appearance ...
, Dahlia,
Nurnaningsih Raden Nganten Nurnaningsih (5 December 1925 – 21 March 2004) was an Indonesian actress. She has been described as Indonesia's first sex bomb. Biography Nurnaningsih was born on 5 December 1925, at Darmo Hospital in Surabaya, Dutch East In ...
, A.N. Alcaff,
Benyamin Sueb Benyamin Sueb (often written Benyamin S. or called Bang Ben; 5 March 19395 September 1995) was an Indonesian comedian, actor and singer. He released 46 studio albums and starred in more than 50 films. He received two Citra Awards for ''Intan Ber ...
,
Bing Slamet Ahmad Syech Albar (27 September 1927 – 17 December 1974), better known by his stage name Bing Slamet, was an Indonesian singer, songwriter, comedian, and actor. During his career, he acted in 17 films and released "dozens" of albums. Shortl ...
, and
Misbach Yusa Biran Misbach Yusa Biran (11 September 1933 – 11 April 2012) was an Indonesian writer, director and columnist who pioneered the Indonesian film archives. Personal life Biran was born in Rangkasbitung, in the Lebak Regency, to a Minangkabau f ...
. The melting pot of artists in Planet Senen would gave birth to Jakarta's recording stars of the 1970s and 1980s.
Dangdut Dangdut () is a genre of Indonesian folk music that is partly derived and fused from Hindustani, Arabic and to lesser extent, Malay and local folk music. Dangdut is a most popular musical genre in Indonesia and a very popular in other Malay wo ...
, a genre of Indonesian urban music, developed in marginalized urban neighborhoods in the late 1960s and early 1970s such as Bangunrejo in Surabaya, Sunan Kuning in Semarang, and Planet Senen in Jakarta. Dangdut musicians who started their career in Planet Senen were Asmin Cayder,
Rhoma Irama Raden Haji Oma Irama, better known as Rhoma Irama (born December 11, 1946), is an Indonesian dangdut singer, songwriter and guitarist of Sundanese descent. Starting from the late 1960s, he began his musical career as Rhoma Irama as a part of t ...
, Mukhsin Alatas, Husein Bawafie, and Mashabi.


Project Senen (1960s)

In 1962, the Jakarta city government and several private investors formed PT. Pembangunan Jaya as a joint public-private partnership to revitalize Senen and replaced the old shops. The strategy, known as the ''Proyek Senen'' ("Project Senen") replaced the old Chinese shops with a complex of modern shopping center, consisting of six modern market blocks numbered I to VI. This plan displaced many urban dwellers from the original Planet Senen. 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 next to this in 1980. In 1973, as part of the revitalization strategy of Pasar Senen, the Planet Senen prostitution and gambling complex were shut down. Senen prostitutes were displaced to Kramat Tunggak, North Jakarta, by governor
Ali Sadikin Ali Sadikin (7 July 1926 – 20 May 2008), better known as Bang Ali, was an Indonesian politician who served as the fourth governor of Jakarta from 1966 until 1977. Prior to becoming governor, he served as Minister of Transportation from 1963 unt ...
, which would also become the largest red light district in later years. In 1968,
Taman Ismail Marzuki Ismail Marzuki Park, (Indonesian: Taman Ismail Marzuki, TIM), is an arts, cultural, and science center located at Cikini in Jakarta, Indonesia. Taman Ismail Marzuki complex comprises a number of facilities including six performing arts theaters, ...
arts center on nearby Cikini were established as a new congregation point for Senen artists and poets. 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. The riots attacked a visible Japanese presence in Indonesia such as an Astra dealership selling
Toyota is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...
-brand cars on Sudirman Street. Later the riots shifted to an anti-Chinese Indonesian
pogrom A pogrom () is a violent riot incited with the aim of massacring or expelling an ethnic or religious group, particularly Jews. The term entered the English language from Russian to describe 19th- and 20th-century attacks on Jews in the Russia ...
, attacking stores owned by ethnic Chinese, including the Senen shopping complex.


Present time

In 1990, the government built a modern shopping center, the Atrium which before
1997 Asian financial crisis The Asian financial crisis was a period of financial crisis that gripped much of East Asia and Southeast Asia beginning in July 1997 and raised fears of a worldwide economic meltdown due to financial contagion. However, the recovery in 1998–1 ...
hosted the international brand of
Yaohan or ; ) was a Japanese retail group, founded in 1930 by and his wife . Initially a single shop, it was expanded by their son Kazuo Wada into a major supermarket chain with most retail outlets located in Shizuoka prefecture, south of Tokyo. It ...
and
Marks & Spencer Marks and Spencer Group plc (commonly abbreviated to M&S and colloquially known as Marks's or Marks & Sparks) is a major British multinational retailer with headquarters in Paddington, London that specialises in selling clothing, beauty, home ...
as its anchor tenant. With the trend of
transit-oriented development In urban planning, transit-oriented development (TOD) is a type of urban development that maximizes the amount of residential, business and leisure space within walking distance of public transport. It promotes a symbiotic relationship between ...
in Jakarta ushered by construction of infrastructure projects such as the
Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit The Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit ( id, Moda Raya Terpadu ''Jakarta'') or Jakarta MRT (, stylized as ''mrt jakarta'') is a rapid transit system in Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia. The system is operated by PT Mass Rapid Transit Jakarta (Pe ...
, Senen will be subjected to a new urban design scheme which integrates the existing infrastructure
Pasar Senen railway station Pasar Senen Station is a railway station located in Jakarta, Indonesia. It is the second largest railway station in Jakarta after Gambir Station. It is located close to Pasar Senen market area in Senen, Senen, Central Jakarta. Pasar Senen only se ...
, the
TransJakarta TransJakarta (stylised as transjakarta, often erroneously called Busway) is a bus rapid transit (BRT) system in Jakarta, Indonesia. The first BRT system in Southeast Asia, it commenced operations on 15 January 2004 to provide a fast public trans ...
bus rapid transit Bus rapid transit (BRT), also called a busway or transitway, is a bus-based public transport system designed to have much more capacity, reliability and other quality features than a conventional bus system. Typically, a BRT system includes ...
, and the future
Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit The Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit ( id, Moda Raya Terpadu ''Jakarta'') or Jakarta MRT (, stylized as ''mrt jakarta'') is a rapid transit system in Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia. The system is operated by PT Mass Rapid Transit Jakarta (Pe ...
station for the east–west line.


Landmarks of Senen Subdistrict

The following historic landmarks and important places are located within Senen Subdistrict: ''Within the historic Senen'' *Gelanggang Remaja Senen *Grand Theater cinema * Pasar Senen Station *Senen Shopping Centre (consists of ''Pasar Senen'' ("Senen market") and Plaza Atrium Senen) ''Within the Subdistrict of Senen'' *Cipto Mangunkusumo Central Hospital *Faculty of Medicine of the
University of Indonesia The University of Indonesia ( id, Universitas Indonesia, abbreviated as UI) is a public university in Depok, West Java and Salemba, Jakarta, Indonesia. It is one of the oldest tertiary-level educational institutions in Indonesia (known as the Dut ...
*Museum of
Indonesian National Awakening The Indonesian National Awakening ( id, Kebangkitan Nasional Indonesia) is a term for the period in the first half of the 20th century, during which people from many parts of the archipelago of Indonesia first began to develop a national conscio ...
(formerly the
STOVIA The ("school for the training of native physicians") or STOVIA was a medicine school in Batavia, now Indonesia's capital Jakarta. The school was officially opened in March 1902 in a building that is now the Museum of National Awakening in Welt ...
medical school) *National Library of Indonesia *St. Carolus Hospital, Paseban administrative village * Sumpah Pemuda Museum *Vincentius orphanage (built about 1855) *Th
Wayang Orang Bharata
theatre which stages
Wayang orang ''Wayang wong'', also known as ''wayang orang'' (literally "human '' wayang''"), is a type of classical Javanese and Balinese dance theatrical performance with themes taken from episodes of the '' Ramayāna'' or '' Mahabharāta''. Performance ...
shows on most Saturday nights


Grand Senen Theater

The Grand Theater was a cinema hall located at Senen in
Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...
,
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
. The historic cinema dates back to the 1930s when it was called Rex Cinema and was centrally located in Batavia's trade and entertainment district Senen. Despite its history, the cinema was in an extremely poor condition and survived by offering low budget movies (usually horror or erotic), finally closed operation in 2016. Grand Theater dates back to the 1930 when it was called the Kramat Theatre. The cinema was prominent as it was centrally located in Weltevreden's entertainment district, Senen. In 1935, Kramat Theatre was renamed Rex Theatre. In November 1946, the cinema received the name November 1946 after a total renovation. The cinema's golden age was during the 1930s up until the 1950s, an era in Jakarta before television was available. When television is available in Indonesia, many cinemas are closed in Jakarta, including Jakarta's oldest cinema, the Globe, which was opened in 1910 but has to be closed in 2009. Grand Theater on the other hand survived by offering low budget movies e.g. horror and erotic movies. With the closing of the Globe, Grand Theater was the oldest cinema hall in Jakarta that was operating until 2016. Attempts by director
Joko Anwar Joko Anwar (born 3 January 1976) is an Indonesian film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. Prior to becoming a filmmaker, he worked as a journalist and film critic. Anwar first rose to prominence for co-writing Nia Dinata's 2003 hit ' ...
to revive the cinema for a screening of ''
Impetigore ''Impetigore'' ( id, Perempuan Tanah Jahanam, lit=Woman of the damned land) is a 2019 Indonesian horror film written and directed by Joko Anwar. The film stars Tara Basro, Marissa Anita, Christine Hakim, Asmara Abigail, and Ario Bayu. The fil ...
'' in 2019 were cancelled due to permit issues.


Patung Perjuangan Senen

Patung Perjuangan Senen ("Senen Monument of Struggle") is a monument located within the complex of Gelanggang Remaja Senen (Senen Youth Center). The monument was officially inaugurated by the mayor of Central Jakarta A. Munir on 2 May 1982. It was erected to commemorate the revolutionary struggle in maintaining the self-proclaimed independence of Indonesia from the Allied occupation, specifically the arrival of the war ship of the Allied in Jakarta Bay on 29 September 1945. The monument was designed by native sculptor Sadiman, Suhartono and Haryang Iskandar, and painter Suyono Palal. It is made with cement concrete cast from
Sleman Regency Sleman Regency () is an Indonesian regency ( id, Kabupaten) on the island of Java. It is located in the north of the Yogyakarta Special Administrative Region, Indonesia, and has an area of , with a population of 1,093,110 at the 2010 CensusBiro ...
, Central Java.


Future development

Senen railway station will be developed in the future as an integrated transit-oriented planning.


See also

*
List of colonial buildings and structures in Jakarta A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations * List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America * SC Germania List, German rugby union ...


References


Cited works

* * * * * * * * {{coord missing, Indonesia Districts of Jakarta Shopping districts and streets in Indonesia Central Jakarta