Gedung Pakuan

This is Gedung Pakuan (lit. Pakuan Building or Mansion) on Jalan L.R.E. Martadinata No.1.

Gedung Pakuan is the official residence of the Governor of West Java Province. It was built in 1864 upon the order Van der Moore (then residen or governor of Priangan) when he decided to move the capital of Priangan from Cianjur to Bandung.

This piece Indische Empire Stijl (Indian Emperial Style) architeture was said to be designed by the head engineer of Departement van Burgerlijke Openbare Werken (Department of Public Works). Unfortunately, of all the books I've read about it, none mentioned the name of the person.

Gedung Pakuan is considered to be one of the most important pieces of Bandung's architectural heritage and, being the official residence of the governor of West Java, one of the best preserved.

Many head of states and important public figures have stayed in this mansion. The list includes the King of Siam (Thailand) Somdet Phra Paramendr Maha Chulalonkorn (1901), the Prime Minister of France Georgeos Clemenceau (1921), Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands (1971), the President of Yugoslavia Josip Bros Tito, the Soviet Union's President Voroshilov, The United States' Attorney General Robert Kennedy, and even Charlie Chaplin and Mary Pickford.