[caption id="attachment_169808" align="aligncenter" width="313" caption="Solo Prison with batik gates and Javanese alphabet information"][/caption]
Center of City
What do you have in mind when you travel in the center of city. The answers can be generally the same, whatever the countries. We will remember about malls, big shopping places, high building for offices, hotels, restaurants, or at least important building with essential status for the city. Center of city is also related to the perspective of hectic area where people and transportation devices are never ending to move. Wanna have something different to see?! Well, here it may be surprising enough for you, even for myself.
Sensation in Slamet Riyadi Street
[caption id="attachment_328" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Batik and lantern ornaments in front of the prison building"]
Walking along in Slamet Riyadi street in Solo (Surakarta), Central Java, Indonesia is the activity that can be written in your diary as fun traveling. Along the street which is the center of Solo, you will see nice combination between traditional and modern style of buildings. Â Â You will walk comfortably in good condition of new pavement (Solo City Walk), so many big old tress, and long train railroad which is still active until now especially for tourism purpose. People are very warm and friendly. So don't be surprised or feel annoyed if they look at you or try to communicate to you. Slamet Riyadi streets also "behaves" as the other center of cities, it has malls, offices, hotels, and restaurants. Walking down from the west to the east, it will be ended in Slamet Riyadi statue, a figure of Indonesian hero. But before reaching the statue, most probably you will stop by because of seeing this building: Solo Prison. Yes, no kidding! Solo Prison is in the center of the city.
[caption id="attachment_329" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Solo Prison"]
Solo Prison on Fashion
Don't be afraid passing here just because you may tend to have imagination prison as scary place. You will not see brutal things here even criminals around, yes well at least it is what I heard, the prison is safe even though it is located in the center. From the information that I get, the existence of the prison there is so far so good, no problem, even it can be unique spot to remember. Solo prison has official name: Rutan Klas I Surakarta. In case you can only read Javanese alphabets :), don't worry! the information about the name of prison is also provided there. Of course it is related to the effort to maintain the heritage of Javanese culture from the past. The front iron fences are divided by some gates, commonly called as gapura. Gapura is common to find in Indonesia as a heritage from Hindu culture. It symbolizes the entrance of area.
Javanese alphabets and gapura are the first fashions on Solo Prison. What else? Indeed, it can be the most fashionable prison because it "wears" so many batik ornaments. Batik is Indonesian traditional motives of clothing, It has so many variations of colors and motives; and some of them are displayed in the front part of the prison. In fact, it helps to reduce the sense of the "darkness" as the common label for prison. That prison looks more stylish and fresher for people passing by.
It seems that batik ornaments are not enough so the prison beautifies itself by adding red lantern which is typical of Chinese tradition. So the prison looks elegant with the combination of Javanese Indonesian culture and Chinese culture. It also represents that Solo can maintain the harmony of people from various races to stay in Solo.
[caption id="attachment_330" align="aligncenter" width="313" caption="Solo Prison with Batik ornaments (1)"]
To be honest, I don't know about the life inside that prison. I just observe from the front part of the physical building. However I wish the colorful atmosphere in the front part also reflects inside so the people there can get better value of life and ready to face the new colorful world when they are free.
