The History has left its footprints across Central Java, an area rich in culture an tradition descending from powerful Hindu and Buddhist past, and more recent Islamic influence. Under the Syailendra and Old Mataram Kings in the 8th and 10th centuries the Hindu Javanese culture flourished, and it was during this period that java's most remarkable religious monuments were built such as Borobudur, the most magnificent monument to Mahayana Buddhism in the world; the enormous Hindu temples in Java on the Dieng Plateau.
Semarang is situated on Java's northen coast and it is the capital of Cenral Java. From Hill Temple you get amazing views of port, the lowlands and green paddy fields, the city it self and the surronding mountains. The environs around Semarang are perfect for day trips and side-excursions. In the older part of the city , near the harbor, you can still find an interesting collection of buildings dating back to the Dutch colonial era and the Dutch East Indies Company. Ther city offers evening performances of puppet drama played by live actors, actersses, and dancers at Ngesti Pandowo Theater.
An extensive network of good roads and railway links major cities and villages. Airport both in Semarang and Solo and the major seaport in Tanjung Emas, on the North of Semarang and Natural harbor in Cilacap provide national and international acces. Door to door travel minibuses are available to and from Java and Sumatra.
Located in the middle of the island of Java, the Central Java province is bordered by West Java and East Java provinces. A small portion of its south region is the Yogyakarta Special Region province, fully enclosed by the Central Java province. Yogyakarta is historically and culturally part of the Central Java region, although it is currently a separate political entity. To the north and the south, the Central Java province faces the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean. Central Java also includes offshore islands such as Karimun Jawa Islands in the north, and Nusakambangan in the southwest.
The average temperature in Central Java is between 18–28 degrees Celsius and the relative humidity varies between 73–94 percent.While a high level of humidity exists in most low lying parts of the province, it drops significantly in the upper mountains. The highest average annual rainfall of 3,990 mm with 195 rainy days was recorded in Salatiga.
The geography of Central Java is regular with small strips of lowlands near the northern and southern coast with mountain ranges in the centre of the region. To the west lies an active stratovolcano Mount Slamet, then a bit further to the east is the Dieng Volcanic Complex on the Dieng Plateau. At southeast of the Dieng plateau lies the high plateau of Kedu Plain, bordered on the east side by the twin volcanoes of Mount Merapi (the most active volcanoes in Indonesia) and Mount Merbabu. At the south of Semarang, lies Mount Ungaran, and to the north-east of the city lies Mount Muria on the most northern tip of Java. To the east near the border with East Java lies Mount Lawu, where its eastern slopes are in the East Java province.
Central Java is famous and well known for its exquisite batik, a generic wax-resist dyeing technique used on textile. There are different styles of batik motives. A centre of batik production is Pekalongan. Other centres are Surakarta and Yogyakarta. Batik in Pekalongan style which represent gaya pesisir (or coastal style) is different than the one in Surakarta and Yogyakarta, which represent batik from the heartland of Java (gaya kejawèn).erest
One of the interest place in Central Java is Borobudur temple,the name of Borobudur believed to have been derived from the Sanskrit words "Vihara Buddha Uhr" (Budhhist Monastery on the Hill). The Borobudur Temple was built in the eight century by Syailendra Dynasty and it is located at Magelang 90Km Southeast of Semarang or 42Km Northwest of Yogyakarta. One of the world's most famous temples, it stands majestically on a hill overlooking lush green fields and distant hills. Borobudur is built of gray andesine stone. It rises in seven terraces, each smaller than the one bellow it. The top is the Great Dome, standing 40 meters obove ground. The walls of Borobudur are sculpted in bas-relief, a total length of six kilometers. It has been hailed as the largest and most complete ensemble of Buddhist relief in the world,unsurpassed in artistic merit, each scene an individual masterpiece.
Still many temples arein the Central Java, such as Sukuh temple located only 34Km from Solo, Mendut Temple located only 3Km fro Borobudur, Prambanan Temple, Gedong Songo temple. Ceto Temple is located in western slope of Mt. Lawu, Gumeng Village Jenawi Karanganyar Surakarta.
The architecture of Central Java is characterised by the juxtaposition of the old and the new and a wide variety of architectural styles, the legacy of many successive influences by the Indians, the Persians and the Arabs, the Chinese, and the Europeans. In particular, northern coastal cities such as Semarang, Tegal and Pekalongan can boast fine colonial European architecture. The European and Chinese influence can be seen in Semarang's temple of Sam Po Kong dedicated to Zheng He and the Domed Church built in 1753. The latter is the second oldest church in Java and the oldest in Central Java. Inland Surakarta, as a former capital, also has some fine European architecture.
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