backpacker indonesia : Surakarta or Solo is a single central culture in Central Java. Kraton, Batik, and Pasar Klewer are three things that become the identity of this old city.Batik tradition that characterized the city of Solo, to this day still passed on from generation to generation. No wonder fame as one of the city of Solo batik producers already well known to the world.
One of the places at the same time Solo batik making center of the largest sales in Solo batik can be found in Pasar Klewer.
Since the 70s Klewer market became the target of the agents from various cities in the country and even neighboring countries to obtain high-quality batik at cheap prices.
At first batik craftsmen and entrepreneurs, mostly from the region and Kauman Laweyan known as kampung batik. They peddle his wares around their homes. But its sales in the long run the place evolved into a community of artisans and trade places.
The name "Klewer" itself, because once the regular merchants displaying merchandise in a dependent batik cloth-hanging or in Javanese language "diklewer-Klewer".
Finally, since the year 1971 even this place known as Pasar Klewer and to this day has never changed its name to another.
Pasar Klewer lies right at the plaza north of the city of Solo with a land area nearly 13 thousand square meters. This market holds more than 3000 traders who speculate every day from daybreak until dusk hits.
Although the concept sale is traditionally a family management, this market transactions every day on average could reach more than 15 billion rupiah.
In this market a variety of batik, ranging from batik cloth with a pattern of ancient and sacred to modern forms such as batik clothes and tablecloths and bed covers that became souvenirs can be found in the city of Solo.
But they are competitive compared to the store or supermarket prices because the buyers here are welcome to bid with the lowest price. All sales process be transparent so that the price was pegged also did not differ much among the sellers. Well ... seems to have no agreement among them, so the competition is also running in a positive way.
As a symbol of the old city of Surakarta, Pasar Klewer also be evidence of the existence of batik history in this city. Batik motifs each picture offered by the merchant to show the era of creativity and the development of batik from day to day according to trends and booming at the time. So if you're good at reading patterns, automatically you will be able to assemble a story from motives which are reflected in a cloth.
Uniqueness, the traders who sell here also is a hereditary generation. They survive because of trade batik market is their search area since the time of their first grandson. No wonder if there is one family who sold in one block.
Inevitably, batik heritage and in fact become collateral for the craftsmen and merchants living in the Pasar Klewer Batik. This is evidence of a legacy that can overshadow the lives of future generations.
