Gombong is a
town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
in
Kebumen Regency
Kebumen Regency () is a Regencies of Indonesia, regency in the southern part of the Indonesian province of Central Java. It covers an area of 1,281.12 km2 and had a population of 1,159,926 at the 2010 CensusBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 201 ...
, in the southern part of
Central Java
Central Java (, ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogya ...
, a province in
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
. The town has 50,300 inhabitants at the 2020 Census, while the estimate as at mid 2024 was 50,950.
[Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2025, ''Kabupaten Kebumen Dalam Angka 2025'' (Katalog-BPS 1102001.3305)] The total land area is . Local people speak
Banyumasan, a dialect of
Javanese.
In 1964, construction of the Catholic Church of St. Michael Parish was completed. In 1996,the ''Wonokriyo market'' was built, becoming the biggest one in the region. A few dinosaur statues are located around the town: at the entrance of Fort Van der Wijck, at Tirta Manggala Swimming Pools and at Sempor Reservoir. Not far from the town, the prayer house
Geraja Ayam, also known as the ''chicken church'', is built.
Fort Van der Wijck, which was built in the early 19th century by General
Johannes Van den Bosch, is located in the northern part of the town.
The military compound served to train soldiers for later service in the
Royal Netherlands East Indies Army
The Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (; KNIL, ; ) was the military force maintained by the Kingdom of the Netherlands in its colony of the Dutch East Indies, in areas that are now part of Indonesia. The KNIL's air arm was the Royal Netherl ...
.
Suharto
Suharto (8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian Officer (armed forces), military officer and politician, and dictator, who was the second and longest serving president of Indonesia, serving from 1967 to 1998. His 32 years rule, cha ...
, the second
President of Indonesia
The president of the Republic of Indonesia () is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Indonesia. The president is the leader of the executive branch of the Indonesian government and the commander-in-chief of the ...
, began his service here on 1 June 1940 prior to the
Japanese occupation).
The fort was used by the
Indonesian Armed Forces until 2000. Since then the compound has been developed as a recreational site.
Administrative villages
Gombong consists of 14
villages
A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban village ...
(comprising two urban ''kelurahan'' - Gombong and Wonokriyo - and twelve rural ''desa''):
# Banjarsari
# Gombong
# Kalitengah
# Kedungpuji
# Kemukus
# Klopogodo
# Panjangsari
# Patemon
# Semanding
# Semondo
# Sidayu
# Wero
# Wonokriyo
# Wonosigro
Notable people
*
Maus Gatsonides (1911–1998), Dutch rally driver and inventor of the
speed camera.
References
External links
*
Former Dutch fort Van Der Wijck
{{Portal, Indonesia
Kebumen Regency
Districts of Central Java
Populated places in Central Java