History Today, June 3, 1912: Cirebon Railway Station Inaugurated, The Work Of The Great Architect Pieter Adriaan Jacobus Moojen

Cirebon Train Station, the monumental work of the pioneer architect of tropical modern buildings in Indonesia during the Dutch East Indies, Pieter Adriaan Jacobus Moojen. (Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA – History today, 110 years ago, June 3, 1912, the Cirebon railway station was inaugurated. The inauguration coincided with the operation of the 137 km Cikampek - Cirebon railway line. This station is special. The famous architect of the Dutch East Indies, Pieter Adriaan Jacobus Moojen, also intervened. The pioneer of tropical modern buildings, aka Indische Bouwstijl, dared to combine local and foreign touches. Therefore, the touch of Moojen makes Cirebon Station unique.

Pieter Adriaan Jacobus Moojen is not new to the world of architecture in the Dutch East Indies. His work is rich. Monumental too. In fact, some of his works can still be seen today. In fact, Moojen himself prefers to be called an artist rather than an architect. Moreover, he is not only good at designing buildings, but he is also known to be proficient as an author, painter, and art critic.

A series of skills, making his presence bring a new color in the world of architecture in the country. He also opened architectural bureaus in Bandung and Batavia. he designed many buildings in the Dutch East Indies. His career went up.

The designer of the Cirebon Railway Station, Pieter Adriaan Jacobus Moojen died in Ede, the Netherlands at the age of 75 on April 1, 1955. (Wikimedia Commons)

He is trusted to design Nieuw-Gondangdia (now: Menteng). The project has soared the name Moojen. He designed the Menteng pattern since 1910. In his hands, the buildings that were allowed to stand in Menteng were limited.

All buildings must adapt to the tropical climate. Aliases must go through the process of blending styles. His most popular works are Batavia Kunstkring and Gedung Boplo (now: Cut Meutia Mosque). For Moojen, this work is known as a pioneer of tropical modern buildings, aka indische bouwstijl.

“Pieter Adriaan Jacobus Moojen from the Municipal Council of Batavia designed Menteng in the concept of a garden city aka tuinstad. The buildings that are allowed to stand there must adapt to the tropical climate, not the European style, which at that time was widely used.”

Batavia Kunstkring, one of Pieter Adriaan Jacobus Moojen's monumental works which became a landmark in the Menteng area, Central Jakarta. (Wikimedia Commons)

“The area that was formerly known as Nieuw-Gondangdia became the first modern housing estate in the Dutch East Indies. Moojen has emerged as a pioneer of tropical modern buildings aka indische bouwstijl,” said Ahmad Taufik and Sorta Tobing in the book Embassy of the Green in Menteng (2011).

Moojen's name is getting more and more famous. Many companies in the Dutch East Indies were attracted by his work. Staatsspoorwegen (SS), one of them. The railway company in the Dutch East Indies asked Moojen to design the Cirebon Station building.

Moojen also felt challenged. He then made a design for Cirebon Station with a touch of a thick art deco flow. However, Moojen did not forget the local touch of tropical style. Moojen's masterpiece (Cirebon Station) was inaugurated by the SS on June 3, 1912.

Cirebon Railway Station today, began construction in early 1911 and was inaugurated June 3, 1912. (Wikimedia Commons)

The station was opened in conjunction with the inauguration of the 137-kilometer SS Cikampek-Cirebon railroad crossing. The presence of the station is proof that the construction of railway lines has begun to expand on the island of Java.

"In 1912 the construction of a railway line from Batavia-Surabaya via the northern route also existed, the road that was passed was Cirebon-Semarang-Bojonegoro," concluded Prita Ayu Kusumawardhani in the book Trains in Surabaya 1910-1930 (2017).