Kretek Kewek: A Bridge That Holds More Than Steel and Concrete

If you’re heading from Kotabaru toward Malioboro, there’s one landmark you’ll almost certainly cross: Kretek Kewek. The name may sound funny—like the quack of a duck—but behind it lies a story that makes this bridge more than just steel and concrete spanning the Code River.

Up above, you’ll find a sturdy double railway line connecting Yogyakarta’s main station to Lempuyangan Station. Since 2020, it’s even been electrified to support commuter trains. Down below sits the vehicle bridge once known as Kleringan Bridge, which after its 2012 renovation was renamed Amarta Bridge.

Kewek’s history goes back to the Dutch era. In 1872, when the Nederlands-Indische Spoorweg Maatschappij (NIS) built Lempuyangan Station, this bridge was born. The name “Kewek” itself is actually a Javanese tongue-twister version of Kerk Weg—Dutch for “road to church.” The church in question? St. Antonius in Kotabaru, just around the corner. Meanwhile, “Kretek” is simply the Javanese word for bridge.

In the 1920s, the Dutch developed the Kotabaru area further, building access across the Code so people wouldn’t have to take the much longer Gondolayu route. The viaduct design was intentional—so traffic wouldn’t pile up every time a train passed overhead. A clever move, if you think about it.

Today, Kretek Kewek is recognized as part of Kotabaru’s heritage area under a 2011 decree by the Governor of Yogyakarta. It’s also listed in the city’s Heritage Potentials catalog. Even though it hasn’t officially been declared a cultural heritage site, its role as a “guardian of the city’s character” remains unquestionable.

For most people, Kewek is just a bridge. But stand there for a moment—watch the trains above, the vehicles below, and the faint silhouette of St. Antonius Church nearby—and you’ll realize: Kewek is a living fragment of Jogja’s history, still pulsing in the heart of the city.