An old guard post in the most splendid alley in Kotagede
- Gang Soka
The road to Solo
Gang Soka is perhaps the most splendid alley of Kotagede. Sill many European influences can be found in the colourful architecture. In the 1900’s this little tiled roof canopy was the guard post of a major trading hub between two kingdoms: the Kotagede royals and the Solo Sultanate.
A tale of two kingdoms
The alley was not designed by local king but by the king of of Solo. Sunan Paku Buwono X spared no expenses to show the splendour of the Solo sultanate by building a beautiful entrance in the middle of Yogyakarta territory.
The alley was not designed by local king but by the king of of Solo.
About Solo
Solo is a city 30 minutes away from Yogyakarta, but was once also part of the mighty Mataram kingdom. In 1755 it was split in two: Yogyakarta and Solo, Kotagede was then placed under Yogya, but also the Solo’s heirs continued their influence. This post is the perfect testimony, it wasn’t built until a century after the royal split-up.