The perimeter wall of Kasunanan Palace in Surakarta, Central Java, collapsed due to wear on Monday night. The wall, which was over a century old, had never been renovated since its construction during the reign of Paku Buwono V. No one was hurt in the incident.

Santosa, a resident, said the wall suddenly collapsed without warning at around 7:30 p.m.

“It just collapsed. A fried duck stall was buried under it, but it had already closed for the night,” he said. “The wall had been lopsided for a long time.”

On Tuesday morning, the Surakarta Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPD) could be seen cleaning up what was left of the wall.

"The wall had been lopsided for two years, and local residents asked us to renovate it. But we were waiting for approval from the Central Java heritage conservation board," said palace official KGPH Dipokusumo.

The Surakarta sultan's sister, Gray Koes Moertiyah, also said the wall’s status as a cultural heritage site was the main reason it had never been renovated.

“The wall had been there for a long time and was never renovated,” she said. “We can only repair it now that it has collapsed. To be honest, we did not dare tear it down.”

Koes said she would coordinate with the relevant parties to rebuild the wall as soon as possible. (kmt/ebf)

Source:
courtesy of THE JAKARTA POST

by Ganug Nugroho Adi

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