Kotamadya Pekalongan

Provinsi Jawa Tengah – Central Java Province

Kota Pekalongan

Kalongan Sakpore... Amazing Pekalongan

Pekalongan (Javanese: ​ꦦꦼꦏꦭꦺꦴꦔꦤ꧀, translit. Kutha Pekalongan) is a city in the province of Central Java, Indonesia. The city is bordered by the Java Sea in the north, Batang Regency in the east, and Pekalongan Regency in the south and west, and is located on the Pantura Line that connects Jakarta – Semarang – Surabaya.

Pekalongan is 101 km west of Semarang city, or 384 km east of Jakarta. Pekalongan is known as the city of batik, because Pekalongan batik has a distinctive and varied pattern. In 2021, the population of Pekalongan city is 315,997 people with a density of 6,983 people/km².

History

Legally formally, Pekalongan City was formed based on Law Number 16 of 1950 dated August 14, 1950 concerning the Establishment of Big City Regions within West Java, Central Java, East Java and the Special Region of Yogyakarta. Furthermore, with the issuance of Law Number 18 of 1965 concerning the Principles of Regional Government, Pekalongan changed its designation to Kotamadya Dati II Pekalongan.

The issuance of Government Regulation No. 21 of 1988 dated December 5, 1988 and followed up with Inmendagri No. 3 of 1989 changing the boundaries of the Kotamadya Dati II Pekalongan so that its area changed from 1,755 Ha to 4,465.24 Ha and consists of 4 sub-districts, 22 villages and 24 urban villages.

In line with the reform era that demands reform in all fields, Government Regulation No. 22/1999 on Regional Government was issued and PP No. 32/2004 which changed the designation of Kotamadya Dati II Pekalongan to Kota Pekalongan.


Geography

Pekalongan City stretches between 6º50’42” – 6º55’44” South Latitude and 109º37’55” – 109º42’19” East Longitude. Based on its fictitious coordinates, Pekalongan City stretches between 510.00 – 518.00 km longitudinally and 517.75 – 526.75 km transverse, all of which are flat areas, there are no areas with a steep slope, consisting of 67.48% dry land. Ha and paddy fields 32.53%.

Based on the type of soil, Pekalongan City has a slightly gray soil type with yellowish-gray alluvial and yohydromorph alluvial. The farthest distance from North to South is ± 9 km, while from West to East it is ± 7 km.


Climate and weather.

Pekalongan City is a tropical area with average rainfall ranging from 40 mm – 300 mm per month, with 120 rainy days. The average temperature in Pekalongan City from year to year does not change much, ranging from 17 – 35 °C.

Batik City

The city of Pekalongan is known as the city of batik. This is inseparable from the history that since tens and hundreds of years ago until now, most of the production process of Pekalongan batik is done at home.

As a result, Pekalongan batik is closely integrated with the life of the Pekalongan people. Batik has become the lifeblood of the Pekalongan people and is proven to still exist and not give up on the times, as well as show the tenacity and flexibility of its people to adopt new ideas.

Although there is no official record of when batik began to be known in Pekalongan, it is estimated that batik already existed in Pekalongan around 1800. Even according to data recorded at the Ministry of Industry and Trade, some batik motifs were made in 1802, such as a small tree motif in the form of clothes.

The encounters of the Pekalongan people with various nations such as Chinese, Dutch, Arabic, Indian, Malay and Japanese in the past have colored the dynamics of the motifs and colors of batik art. So that several types of batik motifs grew as a result of cultural influences from various nations, which later became typical motifs and became the identity of Pekalongan batik.

Jlamprang motifs are inspired from India and Arabia. Encim and Klenengan motifs, influenced by Chinese peranakans. The Morning-Afternoon motif was influenced by the Dutch, and the Hokokai motif grew rapidly during the Japanese occupation.


Fishing port city

Pekalongan City has the largest fishing port on the island of Java. This port is often a transit and auction area for marine catches by fishermen from various regions.

In addition, Pekalongan City has many seafood processing companies, such as salted fish, smoked fish, fish meal, shrimp paste, sardines, and fish crackers, both large-scale companies and home industries.


Religious city

The city of Pekalongan is famous for its religious nuances, because the majority of the population embraces Islam. There are several traditional customs in Pekalongan that are not found in other areas such as; syawalan, Sedekah Bumi, and so on. Syawalan is a celebration of seven days after Eid al-Fitr and is celebrated with the cutting of giant lopis to then be distributed to visitors.

The origin of the name Pekalongan is unclear, there are no inscriptions or other documents that can be accounted for, only folklore or legends exist. The oldest document that mentions the name Pekalongan is the Decree of the Government of the Dutch East Indies (Gouvernements Besluit) Number 40 of 1931: the name Pekalongan is taken from the word ‘Halong’ (can be a lot) and under the city symbol it is written ‘Pek-Alongan’.

Then based on the decision of the DPRD of the City of Pekalongan on January 29, 1957 and the Supplementary Gazette of the Level I Autonomous Region of Central Java dated December 15, 1958, as well as the approval of Pepekupeda Teritorium 4 with SK Number KTPS-PPD/00351/II/1958: the name Pekalongan comes from the word ‘A’ -Pek-Halong-An’ which means penalization (income).

Religion

Since the first, Pekalongan City has been known as one of the cities with a fairly high level of religiosity, the indicator is the large number of existing Islamic boarding schools, namely 44 with the number of students reaching 4,706 people. The diversity of religious adherents no longer causes problems, which means that it shows the conducive life between religious communities in Pekalongan City.

Islam is the religion of the majority of the population of Pekalongan City, while other religions adhered to by some residents of Pekalongan City are Christianity, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism.

To meet the needs of worship, in Pekalongan City there are various types of places of worship in the form of 106 mosques, 613 units of prayer rooms, 13 Christian churches, 2 Catholic churches, 1 temple and 5 Viharas spread throughout the Pekalongan City sub-district.


Ethnic

The city of Pekalongan is ethnically dominated by the Javanese who speak Javanese, the Pekalongan dialect, which is dialectically close to the Banyumasan Javanese language, the Tegal dialect or the Semarang Javanese language.

Pekalongan’s history as a port and trade city made it have a number of prominent immigrant communities, such as ethnic Chinese and Arabs, besides of course other ethnic groups of the archipelago such as Malays and Banjarese.


Economy

Because of its very strategic location, between Jakarta and Surabaya, the economy of Pekalongan City is quite advanced among other cities in Central Java, namely in the fields of industry, fisheries and property. In the field of fisheries, Pekalongan City has the largest fishing port on the island of Java. This port is often a transit and auction area for marine catches by fishermen from various regions. In addition, in Pekalongan City there are many marine product processing companies, such as salted fish, shrimp paste, sardines, and fish crackers, both large-scale companies and home industries.

Events and celebrations

Every year on a certain date, the Government or residents of Pekalongan City hold various events that attract tourists, these events include:

Nusantara Batik Week (PBN) and International Batik Week (PBI)
Nusantara Batik Week is held once a year in October while International Batik Week takes place every 3 years in the same month. Activities held in this event are gala diners, fashion shows, cultural events, seminars, carnivals of batik fashion creations, exhibitions of batik products at home and abroad, great sales and culinary tours.

Nyadran
The Pekalongan Fisherman’s Tradition is held once a year by holding a “ngelarung” offering in the middle of the sea which is contested by the fishing community.

National Technology Day
Held once a year in September, the agenda for this event is a regional innovation exhibition which is participated in by various regions in Indonesia as well as an innovation competition.

Pekalongan City Anniversary Celebration
Held once a year, every April 1st, in this event there is a carnival and titles for arts and culture typical of Pekalongan City, carnivals and various competitions events. But in 2015, this celebration was held at the Nusantara Creative Week (PKN) whose concept was not much different from Batik Week.

Pek Tjun
Conducted once a year, the Pek Tjun activity showcases Chinese culture with the highlight of the event at Pasir Kencana Beach with lion dance performances being floated in the sea and a competition to set up eggs in the hot sun.

Cap Gomeh
Held once a year by Confucians, centered at the Pho An Thian Temple, a carnival activity parading the “gods” around the city accompanied by Chinese arts.

Krapyakan or Syawalan
Held once a year, a week after Eid al-Fitr, this event is located on Jalan Jlamprang, Krapyak by cutting giant lopis weighing more than 1 ton with a height of about 2 meters.

Pintoe Dalam Festival
Held once a year for 2 days along Jalan Blimbing, East Pekalongan, it serves Chinese arts and specialties.

Khoul
This event is held to commemorate the death of Habib Ahmad bin Abdullah bin Talib Alatas, held once a year before the fasting month of Ramadan. This event took place in the Sapuro Tomb area which was attended by people from various regions in the archipelago and abroad.

Kotamadya Pekalongan

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Tourist attraction

The city of Pekalongan is known for its batik which has been worldwide, many tourists come or just stop in Pekalongan City. Tourist attractions in Pekalongan City are not only batik tourism, but there are also religious, historical and natural tourism.

Some of the tourist attractions that can be visited in the city of Pekalongan are as follows;

Pekalongan Batik Museum, Kampoeng Batik Kauman, Pesindon Batik Tourism Village, ATBM Medono Tourism Village, Canting Landungsari Tourism Village, Pasir Kencana Beach, Slamaran Indah Beach, Seaworld Nusantara Fishing Port Pekalongan (PPNP), Mangrove Tourism (Mangrove Park), Dupan Water Park, Jetayu Old Town Area, Pilgrimage to the Tomb of Habib Ahmad Bin Abdullah Bin Talib Al Atas, Mataram City Park, and Monument 03-10-1945.

Culinaries

Besides batik, the city of Pekalongan is also rich in typical culinary delights that are no less popular. Each food certainly has a different delicacy. There you can taste a variety of dry, wet, fried, steamed and much more. Of the various variants that can be your choice, these 17 Pekalongan specialties are a must try. In addition to its unique taste, of course it is also special. Want to know what Pekalongan’s cuisine is? Check out the following.

Sego Megono. Pekalongan’s special food that you really must try when you stop in Batik City is Nasi Megono. As the name suggests, Nasi Megono is a typical Pekalongan culinary made of rice with vegetable filling, processed young jackfruit combined with coconut sauce. The savory taste will HcYertainly make you addicted. Especially if you enjoy it warm accompanied by petai and fried fish? Makes you don’t waRTnt to stop bribing again and again.

Garang Asem. When in \Pekalongan, you must try this one menu. His name is Garang AHsem. Pekalongan typical food, Central Java, served using tender beef, then added with fresh tamarind sauce. Asem salt at first glance is similar to rawon because both of them use kluwek as the main ingredient. But make no mistake! The taste of garang tamarind typical of Pekalongan is different from the East Java rawon which is certainly no less delicious. For that, when you visit this Batik City, it is absolutely mandatory to eat Garang Asem accompanied by Nasi Megono, guaranteed to want to bribe more and more.

Tauto. Are you a lover of soups? Mandatory to try this one menu, Tauto. Pekalongan Culinary is a kind of meat soup with thick gravy mixed using tauto seasoning. Tauto itself is a food seasoning, a kind of sauce made from soybeans that have been decomposed until they have a thick texture. This food is usually served using beef, chicken and buffalo. The distinctive taste of tauto will make you addicted to try it again and again.

Pindang Tetel. From the name alone Pindang Tetel, but that does not mean the main ingredient of this processed food is pindang fish, but sliced beef. This typical food from Pekalongan, Central Java, is cooked using kluwek and additional special spices. Pindang Tetel has a characteristic dark black color and a thick sauce and savory taste that makes anyone not want to stop tasting it. So, are you interested in trying this Pekalongan culinary delight?

Kluban. This typical food of Pekalongan, Central Java, must be included in the list of favorite foods. Kluban is a typical Pekalongan dish served by mixing cabbage, spinach, long beans, boiled kale and bean sprouts, then combined with grated coconut. The spicy and savory taste will be even more solid when combined with warm rice.

Lontong Lemprak. Talking about soto, Lontong Lemprak is one of the foods that are processed almost similar to soto snacks. The main ingredient is free-range chicken that has been fried and then drenched in thick gravy. The distinctive aroma and taste make Lontong Lemprak always the target of local and foreign tourists when visiting the City of Batik. Moreover, you eat this preparation during the day? It makes you don’t want to stop chewing.

Kue Lumpang. For those of you who love cakes, then the typical snacks of Pekalongan Kue Lumpang are a must-try. Lumpang cake is processed areh or a kind of thick coconut milk which is topped with scallion on top. The combination of savory and sweet tastes will be even more delicious when eaten with hot tea in the afternoon. It’s not enough to stop there, Cake Lumpang can also be used as souvenirs typical of Pekalongan for families at home. So, interested in trying it or bringing it home as a souvenir?

Ongol-ongol. Not only cakes, Pekalongan also has snacks that you can’t miss, Ongol-Ongol’s name. This snack is made from sago flour mixed with brown sugar or brown sugar for a complement. Having a distinctive sweet and savory taste is guaranteed to make you want to enjoy it right now. So, how do you want to try this Pekalongan specialty snack?

Apem kesesi, is a traditional cake from Pekalongan. This snack is made from a combination of rice flour and palm sugar. It has a thin border that is brown in color. The color comes from palm sugar. In addition, Apem Kesesi is also served on banana leaves so that it has a distinctive aroma and delicious taste. Want to eat it or make it as a souvenir of Apem Kesesi, it can be a cheap choice of snacks, special delights from Pekalongan.

Kluban Bothok. If you are already in Pekalongan, definitely don’t forget this Pekalongan specialty, Kluban Bothok. This food is served with bothok bongkrek. The contents are in the form of long beans, spinach, cabbage, bean sprouts and kale. Kluban Bothok at first glance is similar to urap but of course the taste is unique and makes you tempted to bribe rice repeatedly when consuming it.

Srinthil. If you are familiar with ongol-ongol, Srinthil is also a typical Pekalongan snack that is almost similar. Both foods are chewy, savory and sweet in texture. It’s just that the difference lies in the shape. Where, Srinthil traditional snacks have spots because they are made from flour which is the main ingredient for making them.

Glundung-watung. Another snack that must be included in the list of typical foods and souvenirs from Pekalongan is Glundung-watung. It was given the name Glundung because it was round and could be rolled. Glundung-watung is a typical Pekalongan snack made from cassava with palm sugar as the filling. The sweet and distinctive taste will be suitable to be eaten as a snack when with the family accompanied by a cup of warm tea in the afternoon.

Growol is a typical Pekalongan food made from cassava and brown sugar. This food is often used as a substitute for rice because it tastes delicious and delicious. Growol typical of Pekalongan has various variants that you can choose according to taste. Sometimes the sugar is low and certainly delicious, making Growol the prima donna of Pekalongan residents. So, don’t be surprised if you come to Batik City, this culinary is not to be missed.

Iwel-iwel or familiarly called Poci, is a typical food of Pekalongan city, Central Java that must be tried when visiting Batik City. This food is shaped like a pyramid and wrapped in banana leaves. The basic ingredients are glutinous rice with serundeng filling. The savory and delicious taste will be more complete when used as a snack when brewing a cup of coffee.

Kopi Tahlil. Are you a coffee lover? It’s a good time to try the distinctive taste of Tahlil Coffee. Made from brewed spices such as cardamom, ginger, cloves, pandan, lemongrass, cinnamon and nutmeg, the taste of this Pekalongan specialty coffee is different from others. Its distinctive taste and of course useful as a body warmer makes Tahlil Coffee a must-have drink that should not be missed to try when in Pekalongan.

Lopis is one of Pekalongan’s typical snacks made from glutinous rice. Having a shape similar to rice cake and a denser texture, Lopis is usually served with grated coconut. Its savory and delicious taste makes this food often used as a mandatory food for Pekalongan people during Eid al-Fitr.

Keripik Tahu. This typical food of Pekalongan, Central Java, is the most favorite menu for the people of the City of Batik. As the name suggests, Tofu Chips are a typical Pekalongan snack made from tofu that is given special spices and then fried until the texture is crispy. The savory and delicious taste is suitable as a complementary menu for various dishes or as souvenirs for the family at home. So, for those of you who like crackers as a complement when eating, you really must try this snack when in Pekalongan.