Keraton Yogyakarta

Keraton Yogyakarta, formally Keraton Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat, is the royal palace of the Yogyakarta Sultanate located in Kraton District, Yogyakarta City, Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Established in 1755 by Sultan Hamengkubuwono I, it serves as the residence of the reigning Sultan and a living center of Javanese culture. The complex features traditional Javanese architecture, courtyards, pavilions, museums, and cultural performances, reflecting its historical and cultural importance.

Visitors enter a large walled Javanese palace complex with open pavilions, courtyards, and traditional joglo architecture. Guided tours lead through audience halls such as Bangsal Kencono, museum galleries displaying royal heirlooms, batik, wayang and gamelan instruments, and courtyards where regular Javanese dance and gamelan performances are held. The setting is central urban Yogyakarta, with stone-paved courtyards, wooden pavilions, and curated exhibits explaining court life.

Founded in 1755 by Sultan Hamengkubuwono I after the Treaty of Giyanti divided the Mataram Sultanate, establishing the Yogyakarta Sultanate. The palace was built as the political and cultural center of the new sultanate and has remained the continuous residence of the sultans. Its layout reflects Javanese cosmological principles and it has played a central role in Yogyakarta's history.

The Keraton is the living center of Javanese culture and tradition, still serving as the residence of the Sultan who is also Governor of the Special Region of Yogyakarta. It preserves and presents Javanese arts including gamelan music, wayang, batik, and court dances, hosts regular cultural performances, and embodies Javanese philosophy, etiquette and architectural heritage.