Batu (city)

Batu City Kota Batu Batu
Alun-alun of Batu. Alun-alun of Batu.
Official seal of Batu City Seal
Motto: Hakaryo Guno Mamayu Bawono (Work to Advancing The World)
Country	Indonesia
Province	East Java
Government
• Mayor	Eddy Rumpoko
Elevation	838 m (2,749 ft)
Population
• Total	190,184 (BPS 2,010)
• Density	873/km2 (2,260/sq mi)
Time zone	WIB (UTC+7)
Website	www.batukota.go.id

Batu is a city located in East Java Province of Indonesia. It is situated about 20 km to the northwest of Malang. Formerly, it was a part of Malang Regency; but in 2001, Batu became an independent city legalized by Act No. 11 of 2001, when it became an independent municipal city with its own mayor and council.

A population of 190,000 people, it lies on the southern slopes of Gunung Welirang. Its population largely consists of Javanese. The town used to be a recreation place for the Dutch colonial officers in the Dutch colonial area (before 1945). Batu means rock in Indonesian.

Geography

The city of Batu lies on a slope of several mountains. The most prominent of the mountains are Mount Anjasmoro (2,277 m), Mount Arjuno (3,339 m), Mount Welirang (3,156 m), Mount Banyak (1,306 m), Mount Kawi (2,551 m), Mount Panderman (2,045 m), Mount Semeru (3.676 m), and Mount Wukir (335 m).

Batu is a fertile mountainous area surrounded by agricultural land. In the 19th-century, the Dutch East Indies government developed Batu as a mountain resort. Various villa and resort facilities were built in Batu during the period.

Administration

The city is divided into three districts (kecamatan): Batu, Bumiaji, and Junrejo. The districts are further subdivided into 24 villages (kelurahan).

The name of the villages are:

Kecamatan Batu

1. Ngaglik
2. Oro - Oro Ombo RO
3. Pesanggrahan
4. Sidomulyo
5. Sisir
6. Songgokerto
7. Sumberejo
8. Temas

Kecamatan Bumiaji

1. Bulukerto
2. Bumiaji
3. Giripurno
4. Gunungsari
5. Pandanrejo
6. Punten
7. Sumberbrantas
8. Sumbergondo
9. Tulungrejo

Kecamatan Junrejo

1. Beji
2. Dadaprejo
3. Junrejo
4. Mojorejo
5. Pendem
6. Tlekung
7. Torongrejo

Tourism

Batu is well known by its tourism area. Some of them are:

• Cuban Rondo Waterfall
• Jatim Park (Jawa Timur Park): a place for learning and playing.
• Jatim Park 2
• Selecta Pool and Garden.
• BNS: Batu Night Spectacular
• Alun-Alun Batu
• Eco-Green Park
• Museum Satwa
• Museum Angkut

There is a historic colonial-style hotel in here, The Kartika Wijaya, which was founded in 1891 by the Sarkies Brothers, prominent Armenian immigrants best known for founding a chain of luxury hotels throughout Southeast Asia, especially Dutch East Indies. It was originally built as a vacation villa for the Sarkies family, and was only later turned into a hotel.

External links

• Official site
• Batu travel guide from Wikivoyage
• (Indonesian)BPS