Bandung Off The Beaten Path

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If you have in Bandung a little more time, try to visit the BOSSCHA OBSERVATORY in Lembang north of Bandung.

Usually at saturday at 9 o`clock is open for visitors - but it is good to ask in the week before by phone. Usually it is at saturday/weekend much people.

To get there is easy by take an taxi- but if you are like to trust an "Angkota", it is no problem. Go from Bandung "City Hall" to relais station "Lendeng", and cange than to the Angkota to Lembang. Coming from Bandung please the driver to stop right side short before Lembang there is a door. Go so about 1 km up to the observatory mountain. (by the way no wonder the people say usually "Bossca" not Bosscha).

So is very interesting (not only for hobby astronomers), and even a tour in the history. See at the Observatory area the Dom with the Carl-Zeiss-Doppeltelekop founded in 1927. By the way, until 1945 the Bosscha Observatory was one of the 17 greatest Observatories in the southern hemisphere.

The guiding for visitors is in Indonesian/English and inside, at souvenir shop you will find much interest informations about it.

Cause of tropical rain, the near volcanoes and other difficulties here in the backyard of the Preanger mountains here my impression: Shure only by the great attention of the astronomers and engineers of the ITB Bandung this Carl-Zeiss-Telescope with all mechanics is working until todays time!

For more information see the internet side of Bosscha Observatory- and for a little background, dont hesitate to look at VT-Travellog "Bandung travelling north to Bosscha Observatory"

It is not real usually at the tourist way, but I recommend to visit the ITB.

The ITB university was founded by the dutch administration at beginnning last century, and so it got developed throught the changing time to the greatest university in Bandung today and one of the greatest in Indonesia.

Here in the universities of Bandung is the heartbeat of the city- feel the new time together with technology and engineering progress of the world.

So try to make a stop at the main Campus and come in talk with students- and shure you will find a guide for to see some of the laboratory buildings.
Here at photo the center between new labtecs.

In both sides of the monument you can see the dedication of the place here at Campus ITB as a place of Science, of learning and delevelop the foundations of engineering,-

from south side the dedication written by the Rector of ITB Prof. Wiranto Arismunandar in 28. December 1996 -

and from north side with a dedication of Mr. General Suharto, the second Praesident of the Republik Indonesia.

Here again in the ITB Bandung. I recommend to a stop between the new labtec buildings.

In this photo you can see the dedication of the place as a place of Science , of learning and delevelop the foundations of engineering here in Indonesia, in Bandung as a birthplace of technical progress, modern science and engineering,
in this great country between Asia and Australia.

Written by the Rector of ITB Prof. Wiranto Arismunandar in 28. December 1996.

See, in the monument is mirrored one the new laboratorium buildings, the LABTEC.

If you have a tour north of Bandung and are in Lembang, make a stop and ask for the Tugu Junghuhn.

It is from main street so about 1km left to north direction, and a small side street is named "Jalan Junghun".

The Memorial is for the german Botanist Dr. Franz Wilhelm Junghun, who was engaged to settle the Chinin Trees in Java. A century ago the Chinin was only medicin against malaria.

Dr. Franz Junghun was born in middle Germany near Magdeburg in small town Mansfeld.
By the way in Mansfeld even Dr. Martin Luther was born.

There in the little german town Mansfeld under the old castle you will find even the monument of Mr Junghuhn at the place where in early time was his birthhouse. The new monument in town Mansfeld was dedicated from the University of Leyden in Holland/Nederland.

The Tugu Junghun in little west Java town Lembang is in an small forest, even with some chinin trees (pohon kulit kina).

Ask there for the friendly Bapak and Ibu Suharto- they has a visitors book and if you have time they shure like to tell the visitors a little about "pohon kulit kina" and Dr. Junghun-
see here the Photo of 2006.

Bandung as a former Dutch colonial city is a very interesting site to see various kinds of houses and buildings with its Dutch style colonial architecture, so many buildings and houses still keep their uniqueness to go backwards to an ancient history of Bandung downtown as a heritage worth a visit. Cipaganti streets is very popular street to memorize this fascinating European style architecture

Observatorium Bosscha ( Bosscha Sterrenwacht) was established in 1923 by Nederlandsch-Indische Sterrenkundige Vereeniging (NISV) or Perhimpunan Bintang Hindia Belanda as an Astronomy Laboratory Observatory in Indonesia, up to now it is an observatory under supervised by Institute Teknologi Bandung (ITB) in astronautic science research, located at Lembang, some 6 km from Bandung, on the way to Tangkuban Perahu

I would not recommend that you stay at the Grand Aquila Hotel, which is in the middle of a tense and long-running labour dispute. In October 2008, 137 of the workers at the hotel were terminated from their employment beacuse they formed a trade union. All they wanted was to negotiate better wages and conditions, instead they were kicked out from the hotel and have had to live without any income for nearly a year. There is a permanent protest outside the hotel, the workers have set up a union tent which partially blocks the entrance gate and shows support for their struggle from around the world.

The workers have also established a 'Solidarity Cafe' next to the hotel. A place to hang out and show your support for their cause. Now this is worth a visit! Great food, and reasonable beer. You can find it at:

Bale Juleha (union meeting point)
Pujasera Pasteur Complex
Jl. Dr. Djundjunan 123
Bandung 40173, Indonesia

If you go to the cafe, take a few minutes to see the workers in the tent too. They will be pleased to see you and more than happy to share their story.

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The common approach to Tangkubanprahu Volcano is from the west. How many visitors know that this volcano is one of twin mountains, the other one named Burangrang lying west of Tangkubanprahu?
In the saddle between the two mountains lies an artificial lake, Situ Lembang, created by the Dutch colonial government by building a dam across Ci Mahi river, in order to ensure the water supply for the city of Bandung.
It takes some effort to get there, and because of that the lake is relatively unspoilt (certainly compared to Situ Patenggang near Pangalengan south of Bandung). The army has a base camp here for survival training. When it is occupied, the access road will be blocked after 3.4 km. But chances are that you have to walk the last 5.5 km anyhow, unless you come with a four-wheel drive.

You may meet a few locals fishing in the lake or bathing in the river outlet below the dam. There is a signboard saying 'no swimming', but if you can swim at all why take notice? Else try trekking around the lake. You may even want to climb Tangkubanprahu from here, but that is easier done through Sukawana plantation.

Directions: From the Ledeng terminal (on the road to Lembang) take Jalan Sersan Bajuri to Cisarua. A short distance beyond Cisarua market the road bends 90 degrees to the left. At this point instead go right, you pass under a porch with the word KOMANDO. From here it is 9 km to Situ Lembang along a road in bad repair.
We parked our car after 3.4 km at the road block near a few simple warungs. The walk from here goes slightly uphill and may take five quarters of an hour.
At a second signboard KOMANDO you have about 20 minutes left to walk. When you are almost there, a path to the right leads to the survival training camp. Do not take this, but keep left up a ridge from where you reach the lake.