The history of Semarang goes back to the 9th century, when it was known as Bergota. At the end of the 15th century, the Demak Sultanate appointed an Islamic scholar named to build an Islamic school in this fishing village. On 2 May 1547,
Sultan Hadiwijaya of
Pajang declared Pandan Arang as the first bupati (mayor) of Semarang, thus creating Semarang administratively and politically. In 1678, Sunan
Amangkurat II promised to give control of Semarang to the
Dutch East India Company (VOC) as a part of a debt payment. In 1682, the Semarang state was founded by the Dutch colonial power. On 5 October 1705 after years of occupations, Semarang officially became a VOC city when Susuhunan
Pakubuwono I made a deal to give extensive trade rights to the VOC in exchange of wiping out
Mataram's debt. The VOC, and later, the
Dutch East Indies government, established
tobacco plantations in the region and built roads and railroads, making Semarang an important colonial trading centre. The historic presence of a large Indo (Eurasian) community in the area of Semarang is also reflected by the fact a creole mix language called
Javindo existed there.
Classical Indische Town (1678–1870) Semarang was handed by the
Sultan of Mataram to the Dutch East Indies in 1678. In fact, the city of Semarang was only referred to the Dutch quarter while the other ethnic settlement were considered as villages outside the city boundary. The city, known as de Europeesche Buurt, was built in classical European style with church located in the centre, wide boulevards, streets and villas. According to Purwanto (2005), the urban and architectural form of this settlement is very similar to the design principles applied in many Dutch cities. Due to the long and costly Java War, there was not much funding from the Dutch East Indies government, and this affected Semarang's development. Most land in the area was used for rice cultivation and the only small improvement was the development of a surrounding fortress. Although less developed, Semarang is a fairly well organized city, in which urban activities were concentrated along the river and the settlement is linked to a market where different ethnic groups met to trade. The existence of the market, in the later years, become a primary element and a generator of urban economic growth. After the
fall of Fort Cornelis in late August 1811, Governor-General
Jan Willem Janssens withdrew eastward toward Central Java, making Semarang region a key corridor for his retreat and attempted regrouping. British forces under Colonel
R. R. Gillespie advanced through Semarang adn its hinterland toward Salatiga, engaging Dutch troops along the route. The campaign ended with Janssens’s surrender to Lieutenant-General
Sir Samuel Auchmuty at Tuntang on 18 September 1811, which marked the transfer of Java from Dutch to British rule. After the departure of
Herman Willem Daendels, Napoleonic governor of Java, the Dutch reorganized Java into
Residencies, and Semarang became the seat of the new
Semarang Residency in 1817. An important influence on urban growth was the Great Mail Road project in the 1847, which connected all the cities in the northern coast of Central and East Java and positioned Semarang as the trade centre of agricultural production. The project was soon followed by the development of the
Staatsspoorwegen Railway and the connecting roads into the inner city of Semarang at the end of the 19th century. Mortality remained high into the early 20th century, with newcomers, overcrowding, and poor hygiene triggering
cholera and
tuberculous outbreaks.
Dysentery,
typhoid, and
malaria were also rife. The city doctor
Willem T. de Vogel advocated strenuously for reducing overcrowding and improving living conditions by extending Semarang into the less malarial hill country to its south; his fellow councilman
Hendrik Tillema had campaigned on a platform of combatting malaria and joined De Vogel's scheme, broadening it into a "village improvement" () movement. This area became known as Candi Baru () and forms the core of the present-day Candisari District. Although it remained highly stratified by class, With most work remaining in the lower city and transportation slow or expensive, few of the lower classes were interested in moving to the district headed by Mr. Moch.Ichsan. On the afternoon of 17 August 1945, news of the
Proclamation of Indonesian Independence reached Semarang. At 12:30 p.m. the following day, activists, youth, politicians, indigenous government officials, and other community leaders—including Mr. KRT
Wongsonegoro,
Subandrio, and
Ibnu Parna—gathered in Purusara (Pusat Rumah Sakit Rakyat, People's Central Hospital) (present day
Kariadi Hospital) to discuss their response to the proclamation. The meeting resolved to establish a local government under the authority of the Republic of Indonesia, with Wongsonegoro as its head. The outcome of this assembly was published in the
Sinar Baru newspaper on 19 August 1945.
Military history It also became the site of a
battle (Five days battle,
Pertempuran lima hari) between the new Indonesian military and Japanese soldiers in October 1945. Shortly after that, what had been the Indonesia-conducted
Ambarawa,
Magelang, and
Ungaran offensives reached Semarang city on 15 December 1945, causing an 87-day battle that swept away the
British and
Dutch military completely. == Administration ==