Sarkarapraja

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꧋ꦱꦸꦒꦼꦁꦫꦮꦸꦃꦲꦶꦁꦱꦂꦏꦫꦥꦿꦗ꧉

Sugeng rawuh ing Sarkarapraja.

(Welcome to Sarkarapraja).

ince the Hindu and Buddhist eras, small-scale household sugarcane industries have existed on the island of Java. In 1830, the Dutch implemented the cultuurstelsel (cultivation system), which required villages to allocate part of their land for cultivating export commodities such as tea, coffee, tobacco, indigo, and sugarcane. Large-scale sugar factories were later established as facilities for processing sugarcane into sugar (Hermanu, 2019).

In the early history of the sugar industry in the Yogyakarta Residency—now the Special Region of Yogyakarta Province—there were 19 sugar factories, earning it the nickname land of sugar. Some sugar factories originated from the conversion of indigo dye factories (Wiseman, 2001). Subsequently, many changes in ownership occurred between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, from initially being founded and owned by family companies to being taken over by capital investment firms or banks. During this period, expansions and renovations were also carried out on supporting buildings of sugar factories to increase production output (Prasetya, et al., 2023).

According to Hermanu (2019), a sugar factory complex consists of industrial and manufacturing buildings referred to as the emplasemen, as well as supporting facilities such as official housing, offices, schools, clinics, aqueducts, railway bridges, kerkhof (cemeteries), and places of worship. However, the global economic crisis of 1929 led to the decline of the sugar industry in Java. The arrival of the Japanese in the Dutch East Indies in 1942 further exacerbated the situation, as all resources were redirected for the war. The crisis peaked after independence, as many sugar factories were destroyed due to a scorched-earth policy during the Second Military Aggression (Asmawati, 2016).

Sugar factories in Yogyakarta.

At present, the sites of former sugar factories and their supporting buildings are beginning to be forgotten, even though their existence represents an important trace of the history of industrialization and agrarian relations during the colonial period. In addition, many of these former sugar factories are abandoned, damaged, and have been repurposed without adequate documentation. This situation deprives the present and future generations of the opportunity to understand the industrial cultural heritage that once held great influence in this region.

Sugar factories of the Dutch East Indies era are proof that the archipelago was once part of the global industrial revolution, as steam engines with the most advanced technology of the time were brought from Europe to serve as the core of the sugar industry’s technology. Asmawati (2016) clarifies that sugar factories are one of the representations of massive-scale industrial building typology. The combination of detailed architectural ornamentation with their forms and structures makes them a rare asset of architectural value.

The various outstanding tangible and intangible values possessed by sugar factories of the Dutch East Indies era make them cultural heritage objects that must be conserved. Through this activity, we aim to revive this local historical narrative by documenting various sites of former sugar factories and their supporting buildings in the Yogyakarta region both visually and factually. This documentation will be uploaded to Wikimedia Commons and linked to Wikidata, making it freely and openly accessible to the public, researchers, students, and historical communities around the world.

Approach Strategy

The first step we took to achieve the objectives of this activity was to establish partnerships with institutions focused on cultural preservation and archiving. In addition, we conducted literature studies to gather references that support the process of locating former sugar factory sites in the Yogyakarta region. The results of this study served as the basis for the team to carry out field documentation activities, namely directly visiting these sites to document their current conditions through photography.

All visual documentation results are uploaded to Wikimedia Commons, and information about each object is added as an item in Wikidata, complete with coordinates linked to OpenStreetMap. We then organized workshops involving new contributors to introduce the basic techniques of editing on Indonesian Wikipedia. This activity encouraged active participation from the participants, with souvenirs awarded to the best contributors. The workshop is expected to boost motivation and foster sustained contributions to Wikimedia projects.

Changes

Indonesian Wikipedia.

The changes we expect include the availability of digital documentation of historical sites—particularly the locations of former sugar factories and their supporting buildings—which can be openly accessed under a free license. In addition, we aim to increase the number of new contributors who actively edit the Indonesian Wikipedia on a regular basis, along with improving their ability to edit data accurately and in accordance with established standards. In this way, the documentation can be utilized by various parties, including other contributors, in the development of relevant Wikimedia projects.

Reference

Asmawati, R.I. (2016). “Dari Medan Perang Berburu Lapangan Pekerjaan: Pengangguran Revolusi di Yogyakarta Tahun 1950-an”. Lembaran Sejarah. 12 (1): 3–12.

Handinoto. (2012). Arsitektur dan Kota-Kota di Jawa pada Masa Kolonial. Yogyakarta: Graha Ilmu.

Hermanu. (2019). Suikerkultuur Jogja yang Hilang. Yogyakarta: Bentara Budaya Yogyakarta.

Prasetya, S.A.N., Fadhilah, S.H., Saputra, H., Purwatiasning, A.W. (2023). “Kajian Heritage Trail di Parakan”. Journal of Architectural Design and Development. 4 (1): 63-74.

Wiseman, R. (2001). “Three Crises: Management in the Colonial Java Industry 1880s-1930s”. Doctoral Thesis. Department of History, University of Adelaide, Australia.

Why must days be numbered, when all has been agreed?
Is it because God forgets?
Or is it, as Leo Tolstoy once whispered—
God sees the truth, but waits?
And so we wait, as time turns endlessly,
never quite in rhythm with the softest voice within us.