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Surakarta, known colloquially as Solo, is a major city in Central Java, Indonesia. The city adjoins Karanganyar Regency and Boyolali Regency to the north, Karanganyar Regency and Sukoharjo Regency to the east and west, and Sukoharjo Regency to the south. On the eastern side of Solo flows Solo River (Bengawan Solo). Its metropolitan area, consisting of Surakarta City and the surrounding six regencies ("Greater Solo Area", formerly Special Region of Surakarta), was home to 6,899,402 inhabitants according to the official estimates for mid 2025, 529,079 of whom resided in the city proper (comprising 260,347 males and 268,732 females).

Surakarta is the birthplace of former President of Indonesia Joko Widodo, as well as his son and current Vice President of Indonesia, Gibran Rakabuming Raka. The former served as Mayor of Surakarta from 2005 to 2012, as did the latter from 2021 to 2024.

A wayang wong performance played in Sriwedari, Surakarta Surakarta is known as one of the cultural centers of Javanese culture, as it is traditionally one of the political and cultural hubs for Javanese traditions. The region's prosperity since the 19th century has driven the development of various Javanese literature, dance, culinary arts, fashion, architecture, and various other cultural expressions. People are aware of the cultural 'competition' between Surakarta and Yogyakarta, leading to what is known as the 'Surakarta-style' and the 'Yogyakarta-style' in clothing, dance movements, wayang (shadow puppet) craftsmanship, batik processing, gamelan music, and so forth.

R. Ng. Ranggawarsita was a prominent poet of Javanese literature and culture who was born and lived in Surakarta. He is regarded as the last great poet of Java. The language spoken in Surakarta is the Mataraman Javanese dialect with the Surakarta variant. The Mataraman dialect is also spoken in areas such as Yogyakarta, Semarang, Ngawi, Madiun, Magetan, Ponorogo, Pacitan, Trenggalek, Tulungagung, Nganjuk, Blitar, and Kediri. Nevertheless, the local Surakarta variant is known as the 'refined variant' due to its extensive use of krama (formal language) in daily conversations, more so than in other areas. The Surakarta Javanese variant is also used as the standard Javanese language nationally and internationally, such as in Suriname. Some words also undergo specification, such as the pronunciation of inggih ('yes' in krama form), which is pronounced fully as, unlike in other variants where it is pronounced 'injih', as in Yogyakarta and Magelang. In many respects, the Surakarta variant is closer to the Ngawi and Madiun-Kediri variants than to other Central Javanese dialects.

Despite the daily use of the national language, Indonesian, under the leadership of Mayor Joko Widodo, the use of Javanese was revived in public places, including on street signs, government offices, and private businesses.

Surakarta also played a role in the formation of the Indonesian language as the national language. In 1938, in commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the Youth Pledge, the First Indonesian Language Congress was held in Surakarta. The congress was attended by prominent linguists and cultural figures of the time, such as Hoesein Djajadiningrat, Poerbatjaraka, and Ki Hajar Dewantara. The congress produced several important decisions for the growth and development of the Indonesian language, including:

Replacing the Van Ophuijsen Spelling System Establishing the Indonesian Language Institute Adopting Indonesian as the official language in representative bodies

Female dancers at Pendhapa Ageng, Mangkunegaran Palace Surakarta has several traditional dances, such as Bedhaya (Ketawang, Dorodasih, Sukoharjo, etc.) and Srimpi (Gandakusuma and Sangupati). These dances are still preserved in the Keraton Surakarta and Pura Mangkunegaran as centers for the development and preservation of Javanese culture. The Bedhaya Ketawang dance, for example, is officially performed only once a year to honor Sri Susuhunan Surakarta as the leader of Surakarta.

Batik clothes hung to dry, Kauman, Surakarta. Surakartan batik clothes are identified mostly by its brown yellowish color, due to special pretreatment with soga, a natural dye. Although many batik fabrics are now made using printing processes, Surakarta has many distinctive batik patterns, such as Sidomukti and Sidoluruh. Some well-known batik enterprises include Batik Keris, Batik Danarhadi, and Batik Semar. For the middle-class market, batik can be found in traditional markets like Pasar Klewer, Pusat Grosir Solo (PGS), Beteng Trade Center (BTC), and Ria Batik.

Additionally, in the Laweyan district, there is Kampung Batik Laweyan, a batik production center that has existed since the Pajang Kingdom era in 1546. Another popular destination for tourists is Kampung Batik Kauman. Batik products from Kauman are made using natural silk, woven silk, premium and prima cotton, and rayon. Visitors can also witness the batik production process and even try their hand at making batik.

Surakarta batik is characterized by its distinctive processing method: brownish hues (sogan) fill empty spaces, unlike the Yogyakarta style, where empty spaces are usually brighter. The choice of colors tends to be dark, in line with the preferences of inland batik styles. Batik materials vary from silk to cotton, and the production methods also vary, from hand-drawn batik to stamped batik. Every year, Surakarta holds the Solo Batik Carnival, and since 2010, the local government has operated batik-themed buses known as Batik Solo Trans.

The Bengawan Solo River inspired a song composed by Gesang in the 1940s. The song gained popularity in Asian countries. The river has also been the title of three films: two films titled "Bengawan Solo" (1949 and 1971) and a film titled "Di Tepi Bengawan Solo" (1951). Other films centered around Surakarta include "Putri Solo" (1953) and "Bermalam di Solo' (1962).

Every year, on specific dates, the Surakarta Palace and Pura Mangkunegaran hold various celebrations based on the Javanese calendar.

Hominid habitation in the region of Surakarta is evidenced from roughly one million years ago, the age of the "Java Man" skeleton found 80 kilometres upstream. Another famous early hominid from this area is called "Solo Man".

The Surakarta area was part of the Mataram kingdom and at this time a village called Wulayu seems to have already existed in or around the present-day city of Surakarta, as evidenced by a ferry charter issued by Balitung in A.D. 904. The Majapahit Empire renewed this ferry charter in 1358.

By the 18th century, the village had acquired the name of Sala. This name is said to be derived from the sala tree. As the Javanese pronunciation "Sala" was considered difficult to pronounce by the Dutch, the name later morphed into "Solo" ([solo]).

In 1745, based on astrological calculations and Dutch commercial interest, Surakarta was chosen to be the new capital of the Mataram Sultanate which was on the verge of becoming a vassal state of the Dutch East India Company. The formal name is derived from the previous capital Kartasura. The official court history claims that Surakarta originally stood on a lake, which was drained by the favor of the mythical queen of the southern sea, Kanjeng Ratu Kidul.

In the ensuing colonial era, the kingdom of Mataram was divided into the Surakarta Sunanate (northern court) and the Yogyakarta Sultanate (southern court). Surakarta was ruled by hereditary monarchs, who were given the unique Javanese cultural title Susuhunan. Since both Surakarta and Yogyakarta had become vassal states of the Dutch, traditional court arts, notably gamelan, were developed to demonstrate cultural power instead of developing military power.

Perhaps the most significant ruler of the 20th century was Pakubuwono X. His relationship with the Dutch, his large family, and his popularity contributed to perhaps the largest funeral procession that ever occurred in Surakarta. He had spent a large amount of money on the Royal Graveyard at Imogiri, both the main sections of the graveyard and the new section where he was buried. In the era just before independence, Surakarta had European, Chinese, and Arab quarters.

After hearing the proclamation of Indonesian Independence, Pakubuwono XII declared Surakarta a part of the Republic of Indonesia. Because of this support, President Sukarno declared Surakarta a Special Region with the Susuhunan, Pakubuwono XII, continuing as governor. This terminology was also used for the Special Region of Yogyakarta, which continues to be legally governed by its sultan to this day. However, unlike Yogyakarta, Surakarta had intense, organized resistance to the continuation of the monarchy. In October 1945, a republican movement was established in Surakarta led by Tan Malaka, a member of the Indonesian Communist Party. On 17 October, the vizier of Surakarta, KRMH Sosrodiningrat V (a member of the BPUPK), was kidnapped. The new vizier, KRMT Yudonagoro, and 9 other court officials were also kidnapped by the same movement in March 1946, including the heir to the viziership KRMTH Wuryaningrat.

In response, Prime Minister of Indonesia Sutan Syahrir met with Wuryaningrat and other Surakarta leaders in May and agreed to abolish the established government entirely.

On 16 June 1946, the Surakarta "special region" was abolished and replaced with a regency (kabupaten), administered by a republican government outside the control of the Susuhunan and his court. This event is commemorated as the birthday of the city of Surakarta.

On 26 June Sutan Syahrir was kidnapped in Surakarta by a rebel movement led by Major General Soedarsono, the commander of the 3rd division. President Sukarno was angry at this kidnapping and on 1 July 1946, 14 communist leaders including Tan Malaka were arrested by Indonesian police on Sukarno's instructions. However, Soedarsono freed the rebel leaders immediately. Sukarno asked the local military commander in Surakarta, Lieutenant Colonel Suharto to arrest Soedarsono and the rebel group.

Suharto refused to follow this command unless it was given directly by the Military Chief of Staff, General Soedirman. Sukarno was angry at this rejection of his commanding authority and called Suharto a stubborn (koppig) officer.

Suharto pretended to support the rebellion and persuaded Soedarsono and his group to stay at his headquarters at Wiyoro, Surakarta for their safety. Later that night he persuaded Soedarsono to meet Sukarno at his palace the next morning. Suharto secretly informed the presidential guard troops about Soedarsono's plan on the next morning. On July 3, 1946, Soedarsono and his group were arrested by the presidential guard near the palace. Syahrir was released unharmed. Several months later, Soedarsono and his group were pardoned and released from prison. However, this did not halt the ascendancy of the Communist Party in Surakarta. In November 1946, the communists kidnapped the regent and vice-regent and seized power for themselves, a coup quickly legitimated after the fact by Sukarno. In 1947, Amir Sjarifuddin appointed Wikana, a communist, as Surakarta's military governor.

In December 1948, the Dutch attacked and occupied the cities of Yogyakarta and Surakarta as part of Operation Kraai. The Indonesian Army, led by General Soedirman, started a guerrilla war in surrounding areas. The Dutch declared that the Republic had been destroyed and no longer existed. To disprove this, the Indonesian army conducted large-scale raids into the cities of Yogyakarta and Surakarta, called Serangan Oemoem. On 7 August 1949, Indonesian troops led by Slamet Riyadi managed to defeat the Dutch troops and occupied the city for several hours. To commemorate this event, the main street of the city of Surakarta was renamed Brigadier General Slamet Riyadi Street. Surakarta remained under communist control until October 1965. Local government was unclear about how to proceed after the 30 September Movement and went about business as usual. As a result, Suharto's forces entered Surakarta without resistance, mobilized local youth paramilitaries, and indiscriminately slaughtered the entire local government.

The water sources for Surakarta are in the valley of Merapi, a total of 19 locations, with a capacity of 3,404 Lsec). The average source water height is above sea level. In 1890–1927 there were only 12 wells in Surakarta. Today, underground water wells in 23 locations produce about 45 Lsec).

In March 2006, Surakarta's state water company (PDAM) had a production capacity of 865.02 Lsec): from Cokrotulung, Klaten, from Surakarta, 387 Lsec); and from 26 deep wells, with a total capacity of 478.02 Lsec). The total reservoir capacity is 9,140 m3 (414,533 U.S. gala) nd can serve 55,22% of the population.

Surakarta features a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen: Am). with a lengthy wet season spanning from October through May, and a relatively short dry season covering the remaining four months (June through September). On average Surakarta receives just under of rainfall annually, with its wettest months being December, January, and February. As is common in areas featuring a tropical monsoon climate, temperatures are relatively consistent throughout the year. Surakarta's average temperature is roughly 30 °C every month (86 °F).