Pekalongan Regency

Etymology

According to the popular legend, the word Pekalongan is believed to be derived from the Javanese word, Topo Ngalong, which means "bat-like meditation". Meanwhile, Javanese toponymical pattern of Pa/Pe- -An actually means place of-, so the name Pa- Kalong -An means place of Kalong or fruit bat in Javanese.

Geography

The northern part of the Pekalongan Regency is lowland, while the southern part of the regency is highland. The districts of Buaran, Tirto, Wiradesa and Wonokerto in the north coastal area together cover 55.54 km2 and had a population of 239,929 in mid 2024, essentially the western and southern suburbs of Pekalongan city.

Administrative districts

Pekalongan Regency comprises nineteen districts (kecamatan), tabulated below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 census and the 2020 census, together with the official estimates as at mid 2024. The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of administrative villages in each district (totaling 272 rural desa and 13 urban kelurahan), and its post code.

Notes: (a) including 1 kelurahan (the district administrative centre). (b) including 3 kelurahan - Kedungwuni Barat, Kedungwuni Timur and Pekajangan. (c) including 3 kelurahan - Bligo, Sapugarut and Simbang Kulon. (d) including 5 kelurahan - Bener, Gumawang, Kepatihan, Mayangan and Pekuncen.

Tourism

Pekalongan has long been known as a "batik city", and one of the centers of batik production is in the Districts of Buaran and Wiradesa. Some of the names of batik producers that are quite well known include *Batik Humas *(short for Husein Mohammad Assegaff). While the famous sarong (palekat fabric) factory in Pekalongan includes "Gajah Duduk" and "WadiMoor". There is also a batik center in Wiradesa which is International Batik Center (IBC).

Actually there are still a lot of tourism potential that can be developed in Pekalongan Regency, among others, Sunter Beach Depok, Watu Bahan, Wonokerto Beach, Petungkriyono Ecotourism, Water Tourism, Forest Tourism, Cultural Tourism, Curug Siwatang Paninggaran, Temple Trenggolek Paninggaran, Anjir Peak, Bukit Pawuluhan Kandangserang, and others. There are also hidden beautiful natural attractions such as Curug Bajing which access roads are not yet available. Pekalongan is still waiting for investors who want develop this attraction.

For food connoisseurs, Pekalongan provides culinary tourism in the form of Taoto and megono rice, Taoto is a kind of soto that is made with taco sauce and with meat and buffalo spices. Medium megono is chopped young jackfruit flavored with grated coconut and steamed which is suitable to be enjoyed while still hot

For those of you who like historical tours, you can visit the Pabrik Gula Sragie sugar factory located in the Sragi District. The factory is a Dutch colonial factory.

In the southern part of regency there is a mountainous tourist area named Linggo Asri, which includes bathing area, relics of lingga and yoni, playground and pine forest. There are also Pekalongan Hindu communities here.

Transportation

For travelers who are going on an adventure in Pekalongan Regency, there are many modes of transportation, including bus or angkot. In Kajen there is a bus terminal which is quite large namely Kajen Main Terminal which serves the Jakarta - Pekalongan route. Buses serving these routes include Dewi Sri, Dedy Jaya, Sinar Jaya, Kurnia Jaya, Garuda Mas, Laju Prima, etc.

There is also the only station in Pekalongan Regency, namely Sragi Station. Unfortunately, this station does not serve passengers because its status is a small station. However, for those of you who choose the train transportation mode, you don't need to worry because there are still other alternative stations, namely Pekalongan Station located in Pekalongan City. This station is a class A station that serves the entire train journey (except Argo Anggrek Malam) both from Jakarta and Surabaya.

Traditional foods

Pekalongan offers several traditional foods, such as:

Sego Megono (Megono Rice)

Sego Megono is rice with sliced young jackfruit and grated coconut. It is savory and spicy, it's usually served while still hot with an additional menu of fresh vegetables and fried fish. Sego megono is usually wrapped in teak leaves or banana leaves. Some people also call it "Sego Gori" (Jackfruit Rice).

Soto Tauto Pekalongan (Pekalongan Tauto Soup)

Soto tauto is a kind of meat soup with thick sauce made with tauto (fermented soy), buffalo meat and bowel.

Pindang Tetel

A kind of soup, where the seasoning sauce are processed with ripe pucung fruit.

Iwak Panggang (Smoked Fish)

This food is made of fish that is processed by smoking the fish, the fish will change its color, flavor and aroma. This food can be found in Pekalongan traditional markets.

Wajik Kletik

Wajik Kletik is some kind of cake with diamond shape made from glutinous rice plus brown sugar and grated coconut mixed together.

Kopi Tahlil

Kopi tahlil is made from a blend of pure coffee with spices like ginger, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, pandanus leaves, lemongrass, and nutmeg.

Apem Kesesi

Apem kesesi is made from rice flour and palm/red sugar, the food was famous in pekalongan surrounding areas particularly in the western part up to the Comal, because it also markets to Comal traditional markets. Many people also recognize this food as Apem Comal.

Usek Krenyes

Is a typical food Paninggaran a type of cracker made from tapioca flour and fried using river sand which of course has also been cleaned. "Krenyes" in Indonesian is a spice up on the usek. There are two variants of taste, namely spicy and sweety.

Ondhol

Namely a kind of food typical of Paninggaran which is made from grated cassava.

Bothok Pecel

It's typical simple food from vegetables with corn and grated coconut. PECEL= grated spinach, winged bean, bean sprouts etc, mixed with chili sauce.

Kroco

Kroco is freswater snail boiled with natural spices and served with chili sauce, they are eaten with a small bamboo stick.

Education

There are several colleges and academies in Pekalongan Regency.

• The State Institute for Islamic Study (IAIN) Pekalongan
• Muhammadiyah Polytechnic Pekalongan, Kajen
• College of Health Sciences (STIKES) Muhammadiyah Pekajangan
• Academy of Health Analysis (AAK) Pekalongan
• STIKAP (Islamic High School Kyai Ageng Pekalongan) YMI Wonopringgo Pekalongan
• Indonesia Open University (UPBJJ)
• UNIKAL ( University of Pekalongan ) , Pekalongan.

Higher Education

• NU Pekalongan University
• Pekalongan State Islamic Institute (IAIN)
• Pekalongan University (UNIKAL) Pekalongan
• Kajen Community Community Academy (AKN)
• Muhammadiyah University Pekajangan Pekalongan (UMPP)
• Pekalongan Academy of Health Analysis (AAK)
• STIKAP (Kyai Ageng Islamic High School Pekalongan) YMI Wonopringgo Pekalongan
• UT Pekalongan Regency

Vocational High School

• State Vocational School Sragi, Kedungwuni, Lebakbarang, Karangdadap
• SMK Yapenda 01 Kedungwuni
• SMK Yapenda 02 Wiradesa Pekalongan
• Muhammadiyah Bligo Vocational School
• Muhammadiyah Bojong Vocational School
• SMK Muhamaduyah Kesesi
• SMK Muhamadiyah Kajen
• Kedungwuni Muhamadiyah Vocational School
• Muhammadiyah Karanganyar Vocational School
• Muhamadiyah Wiradesa Vocational School
• Muhammadiyah Talun Vocational School
• Muhamadiyah Doro Vocational School
• SMK Muhamadiyah Pencongan
• SMK Islamiyyah Sapugarut
• Bojong Islamic Vocational School
• Salakbrojo Kedungwuni Islamic Vocational School
• 45 Islamic High School Wiradesa
• Al-Fusha Kedungwuni Vocational School
• SMK Ar Rahman Watusalam
• Vocational School Ma'arif NU Tirto
• Vocational School Ma'arif NU Kajen
• SMK Ma'arif NU Kesesi
• Vocational School Ma'arif NU Doro
• Wira Bahari Wiradesa Vocational School
• Gondang Vocational School
• SMK Nurul Ummah Paninggaran
• SMK Diponegoro Karanganyar
• Vocational High School Siwalan Community Development
• Prima Kesesi Vocational School
• SMK NU Sragi
• SMK NU Kesesi

High school

• Public High School ( Bojong, Doro, Kajen, Kedungwuni, Kesesi, Kandangserang, Kesesi, Sragi, Paninggaran, Petungkriono, Talun, Wiradesa)
• Muhammadiyah I Pekajangan High School
• Muhammadiyah II Pekajangan High School
• SMA PGRI 1 Wiradesa
• SMA PGRI 2 Kajen
• Yapenda Karanganyar High School
• Doro Islamic High School
• YMI Wonopringgo Islamic High School
• Hasbullah Karanganyar Islamic High School
• MAN Pekalongan
• MA Ath-Thohiriyyah
• MA NU Karangdadap
• MA Salafiyah Simbangkulon Buaran
• MA Dr. Ibnu Mas'ud Wiradesa
• MA Muhammadiyah Pekajangan
• MA Hasbullah Karanganyar
• MA Nahdliyah Talun
• MA Salafiyah Syafiiyah Proto
• MA Yappi Kesesi
• MA Walisongo Kedungwuni
• MA Walisongo Pekajangan
• MA YMI Wonopringgo
• SMA N Wiradesa

Junior high school

• Middle School Bojong, Buaran, Doro, Kajen, Kesesi, Karangdadap, Kedungwuni, Kandangserang, Lebakbarang, Wiradesa, Tirto, Paninggaran, Petungkriyono, Sragi, Siwalan, Talun, Wonopringgo, Wonokerto, (2 State Junior High Schools in Each Sub-District)
• Pajomblangan NU Middle School
• Karangdadap NU Middle School
• Muhammadiyah Wiradesa Middle School, Bligo, Pekajangan, Wonopringgo, Kesesi
• Junior "NU" Kesesi, Kajen, Pajomblangan, Karangdadap
• YMI Wonopringgo Islamic Middle School
• Islamic Rembun Middle School, Simbang Wetan, Wonopringgo
• Walisongo Islamic Kedungwuni Middle School
• MTS Ath-Thohiriyyah
• MTS Muhammadiyah Pekajangan
• MTS Kajen Pekajangan
• MTS Gondang Wonopringgo, Pekalongan
• MTS "Kalijambe" Sragi
• MTsS Balanced kulon 1
• MTS Salafiyah Simbang Kulon 2, Buaran, Pekalongan
• MTs S Wonoyoso
• MTS YMI Wonopringgo Pekalongan
• MTS Al-Hikmah Tangkil Kulon, Kedungwuni, Pekalongan
• MTS Yapik Kutosari, Karanganyar, Pekalongan
• MTS Salafiyah Kadipaten, Wiradesa, Pekalongan
• MTS Al-Hikmah Proto, Kedungwuni, Pekalongan
• MTS Salafiyyah Paninggaran, Pekalongan.
• MTs Negeri 2 Pekalongan

Health facilities

There are several health facilities in Pekalongan Regency.

• Pekajangan Islamic Hospital (RSI) in Ambokembang, Kedungwuni District
• Kajen General Hospital (RSU) in Karanganyar District
• Kraton General Hospital (RSU) in Pekalongan

Natives

• Adi Kurdi, Indonesian actor
• Dharsono Hartono Rekso, 1st ASEAN Secretary General
• Abdul Hakim Garuda Nusantara, lawyer, human rights defender
• Zainal Abidin Domba, Indonesian actor
• Rudy Hadisuwarno, professional hairdresser
• Beb Bakhuys, Dutch footballer
• Joe Hin Tjio, scientist
• Asip Kholbihi, Regent of Pekalongan Regency (2015–2020)

Dialects

Pekalongan people have their own dialect. The dialects usually ending an order sentence with the word "ra". For example: "ojo koyo kui ra" (don't be like that). On the southern regency the dialect differs a little, where most possibility sentence is followed by the word "ndean", other typical southern pekalongan dialect is the use of word Cok-e which means "maybe". Some example are: "wis mangan, ndean!? wis mangan, cok-e!?" ("have he eat? maybe he has?"). There are other typical dialect like the use of the word "pak ora si" which means "It doesn't matter".

People

• Abdul Rahman Saleh, advocate, actor, former Supreme Court judge, former Attorney General, former Indonesian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Denmark
• Adi Kurdi, actor (film player, Cemara Family)
• Hartono Rekso Dharsono, ASEAN Secretary General 1
• Abdul Hakim Garuda Nusantara, lawyer, human rights activist
• Zainal Abidin Domba, actor
• Rudy Hadisuwarno, a professional hairdresser
• Fadia A. Rafiq, singer and deputy regent of Pekalongan Regency
• Beb Bakhuys, former football player soccer and coach from Netherlands
• Joe Hin Tjio, the discoverer of human chromosomes number 23
• R.T.A Milono, first Central Kalimantan governor and former East Java governor

References

References

1. Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2025, ''Kabupaten Pekalongan Dalam Angka 2025'' (Katalog-BPS 1102001.3326)
2. Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011.
3. Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021.
4. "Situs Resmi Pemerintah Kabupaten Pekalongan - Kota SANTRI - Pekalongan Mulai Dikenal".
5. "Situs Resmi Pemerintah Kabupaten Pekalongan - Kota SANTRI - Kondisi Umum Geografis".
6. (October 2025). "Riska Apriyoga: The Beauty of Petungkriyono, Curug Bajing". www.travelmatekamu.com.
7. "Kabupaten Pekalongan".
8. [http://www.suaramerdeka.com/v2/index.php/read/cetak/2011/11/20/167070/Menengok-Warga-Hindu-di-Pedalaman-Linggo] {{Dead link. (February 2022)
9. "Sensasi Sahur dengan Nasi Megono di Pekalongan".
10. Media, Kompas Cyber. (7 August 2013). "Hhmm... Gurihnya Soto Tauto Pekalongan".