Surakarta

Surakarta or Soerakarta , city (1990 pop. 503,827), on central Java, Indonesia, on the Solo River. Connected by rail with Surabaya and Jakarta, it is a trade center for an area producing tobacco, rice, and sugar. Manufactures include textiles, leather work, machinery, metal products, furniture, and cigarettes, but Surakarta is particularly noted for its batik cloth and goldwork. It is also a cultural center, featuring gamelan music and wayang, or shadow plays. Surakarta's outstanding feature is the vast, walled palace of the sultan, virtually a city in itself. The European section of the city, which contains a Dutch fort built in 1799, resembles an old Dutch town. Surakarta is the seat of a private university and an extension facility of Islamic Univ. of Indonesia. The city is commonly called Solo.

Surakarta, Java/Indonesia Solo, Soerakarta ‘City of Heroes’ from sura ‘hero’ and karta ‘city’. In 1745 the ruler of the Javanese Empire of Mataram, King Pakubowono II, was driven out of Kartasura and chose the nearby village of Solo, on the Solo River, to build his new palace. The new city was founded in 1755 by King Pakubowono III in 1755; Solo became a principality, a status it retained until 1946. The name Solo is the popular name for the city.