JAKARTA - The fame of Jalan Cadas Pangeran is fairly wide. The Prince's Rock Road is famous for its dangerous routes and a number of mystical stories.
According to the official website of the Department of Highways and Spatial Planning of West Java Province, Jalan Cadas Pangeran was built in 1809, to be precise during the Dutch colonial period. Jalan Cadas Pangeran is seven kilometers southwest of Sumedang City, Sumedang Regency, West Java Province.
Jalan Cadas Pangeran has sharp winding bends as well as steep climbs and descents. One side faced a ravine, beneath which lay a dense forest.
On the other side of the Prince's Rock there is a high cliff overgrown with dense trees. Because there are no residential areas, at night the road is very quiet.
Rock Prince's haunted reputation
Mystical stories spread by word of mouth also made Jalan Cadas Pangeran famous for its awesomeness. In the history of its construction, Jalan Cadas Pangeran is said to have taken many victims.
To speed up construction, the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies, Herman Willem Daendels, built this bridge by involving thousands of workers, the majority of whom were residents of Sumedang. As many as five thousand workers died because they had to work hard to erode steep hills and cut hard rock material with limited tools.
Many of the workers fell while working, contracted diseases and even got eaten by wild animals in the wilderness. In addition, there are many graves with unnamed gravestones around Jalan Cadas Pangeran.
The tombs are believed by local residents to be the final resting place of the forced laborers. According to folklore, around Cadas Pangeran there is also a stone which is believed to be the remains of Prince Kornel or Prince Kusumadinata IX.
Prince Kusumadinata IX opposed Daendels' arbitrariness during road construction. This opposition made the work of the Indonesian people lighter and most of the work was carried out by the Dutch.
Quoting Kompas, in 2020 the Regent of Sumedang H Dony Ahmad Munir called Jalan Cadas Pangeran a road of pride for the people of Sumedang. It will continue to be preserved.
In addition, the Sumedang Regency Government said that Jalan Cadas Pangeran would become a tourist node for Sumedang Regency.
"For us, this is a legendary road, entering the national road. It was built by taking the lives of thousands of workers, not only residents of Sumedang, but also residents of the Priangan area," said Dony.
*Read other information about NUSANTARA HISTORY or read other interesting articles from Putri Ainur Islam.
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