Gedung Sate

This is a focal point of Bandung’s architectural history. Gedung Sate is a building that has become synonymous with Bandung, for its image decorates many publications about the city and countless postcards. The name itself is of interest: the pointed structure on the building’s roof resembles sate, which is a local culinary delight similar to shish kebab. Completed in 1920, the building manifests the Dutch determination to keep the East Indies firmly under their control, with Bandung as the capital instead of Batavia (present-day Jakarta). Today, the provincial Governor of West Java, whose office is in the Gedung Sate, has more than twice as many subjects as the Queen of the Netherlands.
The young architect who designed Gedung Sate, Gerber, successfully combined eastern and western style elements in this building: the roof on the central tower is a traditional West Java design, and the east wing have Moorish-looking arches and columns. The west wing (to your right, if you are standing in front of it) was added in the 1970’s and is a fine example of how an architect can integrate a new structure into an older ensemble and still retain his own style. Note that the height, shape, and ornamentation of the west wing’s roof correspond exactly to the east wing. Note also that the number and alignment of stories and windows exactly matches the old structure. The design of the windows uses the style elements of their older counterparts, though with modifications: rectangular and rounded elements from the ground floor windows while rectangular forms with vertical columns prevail in the upper floor.
The monument in front commemorates a skirmish over Gedung Sate in which seven young Indonesians fell at the hands of a Gurkha unit of British force in December 1945.
The whole ensemble faces a parade ground and an avenue oriented to Mt. Tangkuban Perahu, a feature perhaps borrowed from the Sultan’s palace in Yogjakarta, which faces Mt. Merapi. This avenue was planned in 1920 but is only now being realized.

Compiled from: All Around Bandung, Exploring The West Java Highlands, Gottfried Roelcke and Gary Crabb