Purwokerto

Geographical unit

Purwokerto is a city in Indonesia on the island of Java with around 250,000 inhabitants (2005 ). It is the capital of the administrative district Banyumas in Central Java province.

The foothills of the city are located a few kilometers south of the active 3428 m high volcano Slamet. Further south, the river continues to flow Serayu in the Indian Ocean.

On December 16, 1895 during the Dutch colonial period, was established in Purwokerto the priyayi Bank, a predecessor of Bank Rakyat Indonesia.

The majority of the population professes Islam. The city also is home to the eponymous diocese Purwokerto, which accounts for only a fraction of the population.

The University Jenderal Soedirman is the largest university in Purwokerto.

The city is connected to the rail network of the island between the capital Jakarta and Yogyakarta. The Purwokerto Airport is about 18 kilometers to the west of the airport Tunggul Wulung serving the city Cilacap, 33 kilometers south-west.

A central bus station served by bus connections to more distant larger cities. Within the surrounding area go Bemos and Ojeks.

Sons and daughters of the town

• Nini Theilade ( born 1915 ), a ballet dancer
• Lie Poo Djian (1932-2008), former badminton player
• Christian Hadinata ( b. 1949 ), former badminton player and World Champion
• Nicolaus Adi Seputra ( b. 1959 ), Roman Catholic bishop
• Fung Permadi (born 1969 ), former badminton player