THE RAILWAY STATION IN JAVA: CREATION OF THE NEW POWER STRUCTURE 1862-1942

Halfway through the 19th century, Java was characterized by agricultural principalities. The land-lease system and the Cultivation system had achieved their purposes of an increase in plantation production. The long distances and poorly accessible road infrastructure took a long time to cross, resulting in a reduction in the quality of tropical products. There was great enthusiasm within the local and colonial elites when, after many years of discussion, the decision was made to actually build a railway network on Java. The construction of the railways and their stations generated a cultural and economic transformation. As these many and various companies pursued different aims and policies, the railway stations assumed a different character and appearance. This thesis studies the planning, design, building, and use of the railway stations in Java in the context of the establishment and development of the railway system under Dutch colonial rule in order to determine their architectural value, historical significance, and cultural meaning in Indonesia today. The documentation of the architectural drawings of stations in Java is incomplete. On account of these limitations, this research has utilized photographs as visual analysis material to reconstruct each case chronologically. The biographical approach helps to navigate the path to determine the concept behind the architecture of a station. The vanished and semi-vanished buildings are reconstructed digitally using 3D modeling. This thesis concludes with an overview of its findings of the Java railway station architecture as a form of transport architecture, which was part of the new imperialism and supported state formation. The innovations in the design of this new type of building were an outward and visible expression of the technocratic power in the colony. The works of the engineer and architect provide an opportunity for experimentation and reinterpretation effort that reveal the uniqueness. The railway establishment can be remarked as a rotor of change in Java, a vehicle to embrace modernity. It provided a new concept of territory, space, and time to the local population. The Java Station could be a conservatory laboratory, although it was a product of colonialism. In fact, the railway network and its stations, which connected almost the entire island, are still there, still in use, and still serving Indonesian people today.