The over two kilometre long main road which runs from the kraton to the north, was part of the original design of the palace and was the lifely archery at which Yogyakarta grew.
Too bad, the nowadays Jalan Malioboro has little similarity with the mystical lane which Hamengku Buwono I had in mind for his royal procession. His 'ritual path' became an overcrowded, densely populated race circuit, and the spiritual symbolics were changed for exhaustion gasses.
The special meaning which the street had ever since the early times, brought successive city councils to the idea to give it a face-lift. Remarkable is the fact that the street is made into a one-way street, just against the way of the original kraton processions, from the north to the south.

Marlborough or Mergelberg

About the origin of the name 'Malioboro', very different explainations are to be found. For sure is that the name only got there after 1945, is from abroad, because Jawanese tradition only names quarters. Naming streets in Indonesia is just a very recent appearance.
The long time that the most populair explaination that the street was named after the duke of Marlborough (after the English occupation of Jawa), is nowadays considdered the least probable one. The explaination that tells the name originates from Sanscrite, malaya bhara (decorated with strings of flowers), is hard to proove, since this term is not found in old Jawanese texts. The third explaination is that Malioboro is a degeneration from Mergelberg (the equivalent of Marlborough), which meand as much as 'fortress of limestone', and points to the walls of the benteng.

Jalan Ahmad Yani

The most southern part of Jalan Malioboro, between the post office and the first big crossing, officially is named Jalan Ahman Yani, to one of the torturers from the revolution. It is dominated by gold shops, batikshops and snackbars.
Arriving from the alun-alun you first pass a gate (pangurakan), which marks the border of the kraton area. Next is a crossing with some colonial buildings: the main post office (built in 1910), the Bank Negara Indonesia 1946 (built in 1923 at the Javasche Bank/Nillmij) and the former society (built in 1912, but partially bombarded in 1946), which nowadays serves as a theathre and gallery (Gedung Senisono); on Saturdays open-air concerts are given here.

Image  Jalan Malioboro

Behind the monument for remembering the guerrilla-attack on the Dutch (1 March 1949), is the old fortress 'Vredenburg' which was built by Hamengku Buwono I for the same Dutch between 1756 and 1787. Once, 500 soldiers were stationed in this fortress which contained a hospital, prisons and a magasine. After a renovation a museum was placed in the old fortress, known as Benteng Budaya or 'Culture Fortress'. in the spaceous airconditioned rooms, diorama's show the climaxes of the battle for independence.
Across the fortress is one of the few remained colonial houses of Yogya. Built in 1823 as a residence, and rebuilt after the earthquake of 1869, it temporarily served as Presidential house during the revolution. Nowadays it is used to receive heads of state. In the beautiful garden are a few Indo-Jawanese statues. Just a little ahead is the Margo-Mulyo-church of the Reformed Parish. The church, sarced in 1830, is the oldest in the city.

The Beringharjo market

The central market of Yogya is north of Benteng Budoyo and originates from the time of Hamengku Buwono I. The current, covered complex was built in 1924 named Pasar Beringharjo by sultan Hamengku Buwono IX, to remind the forest with bering-trees which was here when it was built.
The busy half-dark market whith its astonishing variety of goods is a small world on it's own. Towers with tropical fruits, protected by sunscreens are varied by knife sellers and clothes, who work in half-dark stalls. In the narrow paths are many sorts of clothes, old and new batik, colorfull and bright or just not. The deparment of food is not hard to find after all, just follow the smell: meat and fish are sold between all kinds of vegetables and fruits. Somewhere else are the bamboo buckets and other things for daily use.
Who loves to look around in piles, lighted by no more than a few beams of sunlight, really should be here, but wathc out for muddy holes, pickpockets and 'guides', who will walk with you and try to get a commision whenever you buy someting. Some batik sellers will try to impress you with fixed prices, just bargain on them too, it's normal.

Jalan Malioboro

The real Jalan Malioboro runs from the first major crossing to the railroad crossing. The main street from Yogya can't handle the daily flood of traffic anymore. Bikes and becak's already have their own lanes, separted by traffic islands, but crossing is a combination of luck, courage and timing.
The street is decorated with many shops which sell all kinds of goods: shirts and cloths, electronics, antiques and much more. The wide pavements are taken by local sellers which offer a big variety of goods. Many shops and some stalls have fixed prices, but here too, the law of the jungle, neotiating until the end.
Around nine o'clock in the evening the shops are closed and the street sellers will also shut down their businesses. The stalls are closed, and more food stalls open around that time. Fried chicken, pigeon and rice are common food in the area, they are prepared in ramshackle food stalls, but taste very good actually. During eating many people lesehan 'sitting relaxed on the ground.
About halfway Jalan Malioboro an impressife gate will bring you to the Kepatihan. This former residence of Patih (minister) Danurej, now offers space to governmental activities. In the main pavilion many shows are given. Further north is the Gedung Dewan Perwakilan Raykat Dearah, in which the local legislative council is seated. On the lawn is a statue of Sudirman, one of the leaders of the guerrilla-war against the Dutch.
The next building is the Hotel Garuda, the former Grand Hotel. Across the streat, south of the train station is the quarter of Pasar Kembang, Flower Market. This former area of prostitutes now is the place of cheap hotels and restaurants, populair among cheap travellers.

Jalan P. Mangkubumi

'The old Tugu train station, built by the Dutch in 1936 to break the two-day-trip from Batavia to Surabaya, is still used. Past the railroads, the street surrounded by hotels, shops, restaurants and offices is no longer called Jalan Malioboro, but Jalan P. Mangkubumi.
The Tugu-needle at the northern side of Jalan P. Mangkubumi remembers the foundation of Yogyakarta in 1755. A strong rumour goes that the needle is used by Kyai Jogo, the spirit of the snakes from the bering-forests which had to be shopped down for the new city. At least Yogya got a hold on some of it's mystical stories anyway.