Surakarta in a Nutshell

Surakarta, also known as Solo, is located in Central Java, as the intersection of three big cities: Surabaya, Semarang, and Jogjakarta. Surabaya is 2-hour drive; Semarang and Jogjakarta are only 1-hour drive away. Solo also has an airport, serving domestic and international flights, making even easier to reach this city of culture. The area of the city is 44.04 km2, accommodating 552,930 people, 30% of whom are professionals in creative industry, such as dancers, choreographers, composers, singers, musicians, puppeteers, and chefs.
Preserving the heritage of Mataram Kingdom, Surakarta is now rich of cultural values, from which the society is developing creative industries, including arts, culinary, designs, musics, and many others. Surakarta is especially well-known for the performing arts, both traditional and modern, and crafts that accompany the performing arts, such as batik, masks, puppets, and dancing apparels.