Located in the heart of Surakarta, Taman Sari was once part of Dusun Kadipala, a historically significant area. During the time when the Kartasura Palace was in ruins, Sinuwun Paku Buwana II sought a new location to build a royal palace. One of the proposed sites was Talangwangi, in Dusun Kadipala. However, this plan was not realized, and instead, Dusun Sala was chosen and developed into the Surakarta Palace (Karaton Surakarta).

During the reign of ISKS Paku Buwana X, the area began to be developed by Kanjeng Raden Adipati Sasradiningrat IV, starting in 1899. By 1901, it was inaugurated as a public recreational park named Taman Sriwedari, a name inspired by the story in the Serat Arjunasasra.

Taman Sriwedari continued to grow and develop, eventually featuring a variety of facilities such as gardens, a zoo, traditional wayang orang (human puppet) performances, musical shows, a pond with small beautiful islands, and a museum as an educational resource.