Welcome To Kampoeng Batik Laweyan

Here You can get complete information about Kampoeng Batik Laweyan. Cultural side, historic side, architect side, tourism object, public facility and especially Batik product.
Kampoeng Batik Laweyan placed at west part of Solo. Solo is about in the center of Java and in the center of Central Java. This position is very strategic and the best assets for trading and industry.


Kampoeng Batik Laweyan is a village that having 24.83 hectare territory and about 2.500 citizen living on it. Laweyan is the oldest Kampoeng Batik in Indonesia.

Laweyan’s Batik merchant existancy was so famous especially Golden Era while KH Samanhudi lived on 1911. As the changing years, Laweyan’s Batik Era having so many up and down history up to now.


Challenging the dinamic and competitive globalization, on 2004 formed an organization called as Kampoeng Batik Laweyan Development Forum (FPKBL = Forum Pengembangan Kampoeng Batik Laweyan). FPKBL formed from many Laweyan ‘s citizen element to optimized and build all Laweyan potential source to raised again and prepare for the globalization era.
The first step to make every endeavor to potential source is build a Disposal Process Instalation of Batik Disposable Water (IPAL= Instalasi Pengolahan Air Limbah). Now all batik factory in Laweyan dispose their dispose water to IPAL to process become non toxic and safe to environment.


Next project, on 2006 Kampoeng Batik Laweyan has started revitalization project, Step 1, built infrastructure for example, shelter, billboard, plant fences, decorate lamp pole and batik’s ornament in every crossing at Sidoluhur Street.
This infrastructure made Kampoeng Batik Laweyan more interesting, more informative and more beautiful, so the wish to make Kampoeng Batik Laweyan as the batik’s tourism cluster could be reached quickly.

That’s briefly description of Kampoeng Batik Laweyan. For more information click the left buttons.

Tourism Object of K.A. Henis Era

aweyan Mosque
Laweyan Mosque established on 1546 when Djoko Tingkir Era. This mosque was the 1st mosque in Pajang Kingdom.
It used to be a Hindu pura with biksu as a leader. But, with peacefully persuasion, and many native citizen believe in Islam, the building changed function become a mosque.
Along with it, formed an Islamic Studies Center (pesantren) and having many students studied there.It is said, that caused of many students stayed there, so it never stopped cooked rice, that there were some smoke come out from the kitchen. That’s why the village called Belukan Village, cause beluk is the Javanese language and it meant smoke.

The owner of Laweyan Mosque was Kyai Ageng Henis (King Paku Buwono II’s grandfather). Like other mosque, Laweyan Mosque often used for marriage, divorce etc.Ki Ageng Henis Cemetery
Laweyan Mosque had a cemetery location, too. The cemetery was for Pajang Royal Kingdom descendant, Kartasura and Surakarta Royal Kingdom.
There’s one cemetery special gate for King Pakubuwono X when he visited the grave and this gate only used one time, caused after one year he passed away.

Few of Surakarta Royal Kingdom descendant were buried here :

1. Kyai Ageng Henis
2. King Pakubuwono II, was the King who moved the palace from Kartasura to Sala village and named Surakarta Palace. His majesty wanted to bury nearby Kyai Ageng Henis
3. King Paku Buwono’s V wife
4. Prince Widjil I Kadilangu as the poem of King PB II and PB III
5. Nyai Ageng Pati
6. Nyai Pandanaran
7. Prince Prabuwinoto, youngest son of King Paku Buwono IX
8. Dalang Surakarta, it is said that he ever played a part of skin puppet for Nyai Rara Kidul
9. Kyai Ageng Proboyekso

ere, grew a rare plant named Nagasari, almost 500 years old, which is a symbol of the most powerful dragon that guarded the cemetery.
There a symbol of Goddess Durga,too, one of Hindu’s goddess on the gate.
Along with Surakarta Royal Kingdom renovation, this cemetery also had renovation, and here had a pendapa that moved from Kartasura Royal Kingdom.

Kabanaran River Port
Since 1546, Kyai Ageng Henis stayed in Laweyan and spead Islamic religion. He taught how to make handwriting batik, to the villager too, a skill that used to be could be done in Royal Kingdom only. Since that time, Laweyan’s trade became more busy, so Laweyan had many port to make easier trade and faster between one area to other area through Kabanaran River. The port were at southern of Kampoeng Laweyan, the edge of Kabanaran River at Kampoeng Laweyan and Nusupan, was a big port on the edge of Bengawan Solo River.

Writed Batik

Laweyan used to be a center of spinning sheet and fabrics factory, that usually named "lawe" (yarn). Kampoeng Laweyan has exist before Pajang Royal Kingdom about 15th century.

On 1546, Kyai Ageng Henis, the noble descendant of King Brawijaya V, stayed in Laweyan. He spread Islamic religion to villager and taught how to make batik, the ancient tradition of Royal Kind

Handwriting batik is a method to draw on a piece of cloth using tool called "canting" (the tool to put wax on cloth), gawangan (made from bamboo to put the cloth on), fry pan, anglo( traditional stove), bamboo traditional fan, covering cloth,wax screneer and dingklik (small wooden chair).

At that time the colour using natural colour such as tinggi plant, mengkudu, soga and nila. For sodium using sodium ash and salt from mud. Because all material used from nature thing, so no pollution added from the disposal water.

The process start from mola (drawing pattern on the cloth using pencil), ngiseni (filling the pattern), nerusi (putting wax on different side), nemboki (covering the part that isn't coloured), mbiriki (softening the cover), pewarnaan (colouring process), nglorot (boiling the cloth in order to loose the wax) and mbabari.

Because of long process and need special skill, so this handwriting batik sold expensively. It classifies as a high class batik. And the most expensive handwriting batik is made from silk. This product is limited edition and made for high end class and some for export.

Laweyan History

Kampoeng Batik Laweyan is a specific cluster, unique and having a long heroic historic story. According to R.T. Mlayadipura on his book, Laweyan village (now called as Kampoeng Laweyan) has exist before Pajang Royal Kingdom. Laweyan history was written after Kyai Ageng Henis stayed and lived on Laweyan on about 15th century. Kyai Ageng Henis or usually called Kyai Ageng Laweyan, was son of Kyai Ageng Sela, who is King Brawijaya descendant. Kyai Ageng Henis had a title as “ the great,great granfather” ( manggala pinatuwaning nagara) of Pajang Royal Kingdom when King Jaka Tingkir ruled Kingdom on 1546. After Kyai Ageng Henis passed away, the house was occupied by his grandson, Bagus Danang or Mas Ngabehi Sutawijaya, then Sutawijaya moved to Mataram (Kotagede) and became first King of Islamic Mataram era and titled Panembahan Senopati. Laweyan Market used to be a busy market that was used for trade any kind of material especially yarn and cloth. The cotton was produced by Pedan, Juwiring and Gawok village. Its location is at Laweyan village (noe between Kampoeng Lor Pasar Mati and Kidul Pasar Mati and eastern of Kampoeng Setono). At the southren of Laweyan market there was a big Port, Kabanaran river port. Laweyan has a big part on a battle against colonialization. Around 1911, formed Islamic Trading Union (Serikat Dagang Islam = SDI) with K.H. Samanhudi as the former. In economics, Laweyan also was the pioneer of cooperation, named “Persatoean Peroesahaan Batik Boemi Poetera Soerakarta” on 1935.