Prawirotaman, Batik Village

Prawirotaman is situated around 5 kilometers from the center of Yogyakarta City.

Prawirotaman is a village known since the 19th century when anoble of Kraton called Prawirotomo achieved a piece of land from the Kraton. from the beginning, the village played an important role for Yogyakarta. During the wartime, it was the concentration camp for the soldiers. After the wartime, it is renowned is the center of batik cap industry managed by Prawirotomo's offspring. In seventies during wich era the batik cap industry was declining, the Prawirotomo's offspring turned their business to the lodging services and since then on Prawirotaman has been well-known as the tourists' village. Although some has changed their manager, most are still managed by the Prawirotomo's offspring that consist of three big families, namely Werdoyoprawiro, Suroprawiro, and Mangunprawiro.


Entering the area of Prawirotaman, you will feel the atmosphere of a village in the middle the city. There are a hustle bustle of vehicle and greetings by the local people who generally can speak English. There are also lines of uniquely designed lodgings available in the area, either traditional or modern.

Walking along Prawirotaman is just like walking through an ancient kampung. Some houses have a pendopo style structure made from teak wood while others are built with strong walls and a  burnt tile roof like early 50's / 60's styled architecture.  You can see daily life of the locals here as they usually use the alley surrounding Prawirotaman as a shortcut.  The houses look like a  mixture of home and hotel as they have similar details and facades with a small yard, guest room, bar, receptionist and living room. The only difference between them is a sign saying 'kamar masih ada' which means 'rooms available'.

The Prawirotaman Kampung was founded in the 19th century by Prawirotomos in a land which was from the Sultan of Yogyakarta.  In the 60's, the Prawirotaman Kampung was the centre of the batik ink stamp fabrics trade in Yogyakarta but the decrease of batik ink stamps in the early 70's forced the Prawirotomos to turn their businesses into motels and inns.  Some new facilities were added to the buildings such as a guest room, dining room, living room, bath room and storage space. Until now, three Prawirotomos families run the businesses and they are Werdoyoprawiro, Suroprawiro and Mangunprawiro (you can see the similar 'Prawiro').

In Prawirotaman Village, there spread out mamny lodgings with various costs, ranging from Rp 50.000,00 to Rp 300.000 a night. As for you the imported book hunter, you can get one with the cheaperprice then usual. Ones that are generally priced hundred-thousand at other places only costs around Rp 35.000 to Rp 60.000.

As with Sosrowijayan Kampung at the northern end of Malioboro street, Prawiromatan also has a complete tourist infrastructure. If you want to shop for fresh vegetables and meats, there is a traditional market in the middle of the kampung named Prawirotaman Market.  Vendors, bars, shops and restaurants are easily found and some of them are open 24 hours a day. If you want a trip to the hinterland of Yogyakarta you may rent a bike, motorcycle or car from rental outlets on Prawirotaman.  Looking for some gifts from Yogyakarta? Don't worry there are many merchandise and souvenir shops open for tourists during the working hours of  8am - 9pm.