Location : RA. Kartini Street No. 12 Timuran, Banjarsari, Surakarta, Jawa Tengah

Designation Decree : SK Walikota Surakarta No. 432.2/310 Tahun 2019

SMPN 10, a public junior high school in Surakarta, was formerly the Mangkunegaran girls’ school known as Van Deventer. The idea of establishing a girls’ school was initiated by Mangkunegara VII. To establish the institution, he purchased the Ndalem Pangeran Natadiningrat (the residence of Prince Natadiningrat), a property of about 7,500 m² for 20,000 guilders, and designated it as both a school building and a dormitory. Construction officially began in 1917 after receiving Mangkunegara VII’s approval. On July 1, 1927, the school was inaugurated by Gusti Kanjeng Ratu Timur, the consort of Mangkunegara VII, together with Mangkunegara VII himself.

Within the SMPN 10 complex, stands a hall divided into two sections: 1) the northern side, which serves as the hall of SMPN 3 Surakarta, and 2) the southern side, which serves as the hall of SMPN 10 Surakarta.

The history of SMPN 10 is closely tied to the development of both SMPN 3 and SMPN 5 Surakarta. All of which once belonged to the Mangkunegaran estate. The Van Deventer and the HIS (later becoming SMPN 5) were inaugurated on the same day, July 1, 1927, by Gusti Kanjeng Ratu Timur and Mangkunegara VII.

Mangkunegara VII believed in advancing national education, which motivated him to build many schools, especially primary schools. Influenced by his close relationship with Conrad Theodor van Deventer, he named the girls’ secondary school after him. The Van Deventer School offered training in domestic skills such as cooking, sewing, ironing, embroidery, and batik-making. His uncle, Mangkunegara VI, had earlier pioneered modern primary education through an institution known as Siswarini.

In 1950, the Government of the Republic of Indonesia issued Decree No. 1254/B/50, designating the former Van Deventer School building as the shared learning facility for SMPN 3 and SMPN 5 Surakarta.
The school hall holds significant historical value. It marks the establishment of one of the earliest institutions dedicated to advancing women’s education and represents the presence of modern girls’ schooling in Surakarta. Because of its value, the building should be formally recognized as a cultural heritage site.