Pematang Siantar

Pematang Siantar (also: Pematangsiantar ) is a county-level city ( Kota ) in the province of North Sumatra, the Indonesian island of Sumatra. In the north-east of Lake Toba -lying city the diverted railway connection of almost 130 km northerly provincial capital Medan ends. Pematang Siantar is an agricultural trade center for rice, tea, tobacco and oil palms, with the latter of the polymers are rubber and synthetic fibers produced and traded. During the colonial period, the city developed to Medan the second largest on the island. The population is about 236,000.

History

The domination of the settlement was to occupation of the Netherlands in 1907 at the hands of Damanik, a tribe of the ethnic group of the Simalungun. With Tuan Sangnawaluh Damanik they had their last king. Then fell Pematang Siantar under colonial administration and remained there until 1942, when Japan annexed the land. By 1915, out of the settlement area, a town had grown to 3,700 residents. From this point on, the city grew immensely as it was due to a favorable interface between the plantation lands and the Batak highlands. 1945 - with the end of World War II - the city became independent and got an autonomous status.

Population

The city and its surroundings are the settlement area of ​​Simalungun - Batak, one of several Batakvolksgruppen ( such as the Angkola, Mandailing, Toba, Pakpak, and Karo Batak ). Today, there are also Chinese, Achinesen, ethnic Malays, Minangkabau, and resettled Javanese, but also Sikh, Arab and Tamil.

Transport and Tourism

The starting point of trade growth and later of tourism has been the development of transport infrastructure, motivated by the construction of the railway. In 1883 she became the first private railway company ( Deli Spoorweg Maatschapij ) founded and was until 1957 administered by the Dutch. Then it was nationalized. This infrastructural advantage today is used by tourism. Alongside this, however is also the Trans - Sumatra Highway, which connects the city directly relevant.

As a public transport agents are used in Pematang Siantar BSA Motorcycles ( becak ). Since there are no spare parts supply, most are modified individually and lovingly repaired.

Pematang Siantar is already in Batakgebiet and is therefore of increased cultural interest. In the local market the goods of the Batak be discontinued, such as the Ulos. Close to the towns of Berastagi and Kabanjahe, the latter the seat of government of the district of Karo, lie behind the volcano Sinabung and Lake Toba, regions which are frequently visited.