ABSTRACT
Yogyakarta became the revolutionary capital of the nascent Indonesian Republic in early 1946, after British troops entered Jakarta. That ended when the Dutch attacked and took over the city in late 1948. During this period of less than three years, Yogyakarta became the symbolic centre of the Republic – a city synonymous with the Republican state. Foreign relations and meetings were held in the city. The state invited people from outside to showcase the progress of the nation-state as testament to its legitimacy. Today, the spaces of the former capital – its hotels, streets and buildings – contain layered histories of the birth of the state and of the nation.
