Triwindu antique market: Losing its traditional soul
Time ticking away: A trader specializing in clocks waits in his kiosk at the market.Visiting Triwindu market used to be a must for aficionados of antiques and curios.Located on the corner of Jalan Diponegoro, Solo (also known as Surakarta) Central Java, it consists of rows of kiosks selling a wide selection of goods, which will guarantee buyers a trip down memory lane.
The objects on sale range from cannons, stone statues, door ornaments, wayang (leather or wooden puppets), to radios and old typewriters, antique charcoal irons with their typical rooster knobs, lusterless coins, wooden masks, paintings, clocks and lamps.
“I’ve found many things I didn’t expect to see there. That’s why I never miss the chance to visit Triwindu while in Indonesia,” said Paul Scharlete, a tourist from Australia.
This market opens at 8 a.m. each morning but only really gets busy two hours later. Antique merchandise is neatly displayed outside traders’ kiosks, often causing visitors to walk cautiously to avoid brushing past fragile items.
Most buyers come from other cities like Yogyakarta, Semarang, Surabaya and Jakarta or overseas.
Regular and new customers alike tend to have more freedom at this market, which is located not far from Mangkunegaran Court. Why? Because sellers let visitors examine the goods and even probe heaps of articles to find what they want, instead of pushing them to buy something, or following them around.
Such a trading culture makes the hunt for curios even more interesting. Through peaceful bargaining rather than heated haggling, the price finally agreed is usually half the rate demanded by shop owners.
The key is to be patient when negotiating the price and avoid being “over zealous” when buying the much sought after items.
Triwindu, where nearly all collectibles are available, also offers keris (daggers), lanterns, wall decorations, furniture, glass jars and other glassware for dinner, table cloths, window curtains and carpets, even ragged ones, for which buyers are still willing to pay high prices.
Collectors can also find old radios, especially branded ones like the Grundig Majestic, Telefunken Gavotte and magic-eyed Philips. Wall clocks and hanging lamps formerly found in Javanese courts are also on display.
According to several traders, some of the goods in Triwindu come from Kasunanan Surakarta and Mangkunegaran courts, notably lamps, ceramic dishes, gebyok (wooden walls), typewriters, clocks and even bicycles.
“The antiques were normally given to court servants, who later sold them when they needed cash. The gifts they sold were mostly already damaged. We can resell the goods after fixing them, which sometimes takes a while,” said Mariman, a local trader.
Mariman pointed to one of his collector’s items, a 1913 Rountenk motorcycle, also bought from a court servant in the 1980s. When brought to the kiosk, the Rountenk was just a rusty vehicle without wheels.
“After five years’ repair, this motorcycle was restored to its original condition. Someone once offered
Rp 200 million for it but I took it off the market,” added Mariman.
Rp 200 million for it but I took it off the market,” added Mariman.
No longer used: Antique charcoal irons with their typical rooster knobs are on display in one of the kiosks at the market.The middle-aged man said it was hard to measure the quality of antiques at first glance, particularly wooden objects like gebyok, doors, windows, partitions and furniture. Indeed, Surakarta has many “reproducers” capable of converting new products into aged and classical-looking ones by using chemicals or exposing items to the sun for a long time.Therefore, not all goods displayed in Triwindu are real antiques. An article claimed to be centuries old may have been produced only last month. Yet this market will always have genuine products on offer, which smart and lucky people will be able to track down.
Triwindu was founded by KGPAA Mangkunegoro VII in 1939, on the 24th anniversary of his Mangkunegaran rule. Triwindu is a combination of the word tri, meaning three, and windu, meaning eight, thus 24 when multiplied.
In its early years, it was around 200 meters south of Mangkunegaran Court, in the Pasar Pon shopping area to be precise. Wooden kiosks used to line a narrow and dirty alleyway. On both sides of the alley were heaps of diverse antiques and curios, including objects claimed to be fossils from Sangiran. Amid the hustle and bustle of the side street was a famous soto (meat soup) stall named after the market, Triwindu.
Triwindu Market was however relocated for esthetic reasons to a new area in Ngarsopuro, 100 meters from the previous site, in Sept. 25, 2009.
The alley is no longer narrow with dilapidated wooden structures and wet floors on rainy days. Triwindu was even renamed Windujenar to add a modern touch — before taking on its former name again, as demanded by Surakarta residents.
But it seems only the name “Triwindu” has returned. The wooden stands have been replaced by kiosks built with bricks, which no longer let the sun light shine through, and the wet floors are now covered with ceramics. This new market is indeed more spacious and cleaner, especially since the legendary ramshackle soto stall was removed.
Waiting to be chosen: Rare Loro Blonyo dolls, or wooden bridal statues, can be found at the Triwindu antique market, on the corner of Jalan Diponegoro, in Surakarta, Central Java.But everything has changed.“This market remains busy, but it has less visitors than it used to in the past. The number of foreign tourists has also declined because the atmosphere is different,” said Mardi, a seller.
He added that in the previous location, traders sold on average between five to 10 items a day. Their turnover reached Rp 500,000 to Rp 5 million depending on the goods sold.
“Now they are lucky to be able to sell an old door hinge worth Rp 100,000.”
Ratmono, who has been selling antiques for 30 years now, echoed Mardi’s comments.
In the words of the grandfather of eleven, “The soul of this market has been lost. Formerly people came here not merely to buy rare articles but also to enjoy the traditional atmosphere. Now it is gone.”
— Photos by Ganug Nugroho Adi
