Life can be grey sometimes, but this rainbow village will cheer you up to the most. This Indonesian village named Kampung Pelangi ( Rainbow Village) located in Randusari, North Semarang in Central Java is doing its best to add some vibrancy to the world with its colourful houses, bright attractive and of course, higly instagram-able.
The original name of this village was Kampung Wonosari, a home of 223 rainbow-coloured houses set in two community units. Each house (and its rooftop) has been painted a minimum of three colours, and 3D drawings adorn the walls. The local bridge and benches have also received the colourful treatment.
The genesis of this display was initiated by the local government in hope of drawing more visitors to the town. Apparently, the IDR 300 million budget from the government to transform the village results—which include heart-motif murals, multicolor flags, polka-dot panels, and 3-D textured reliefs—have been a resounding success, as visitors from near and far make pilgrimages to the candy-color wonderland to snap photos for Instagram.
The development of Kampung Pelangi is helping the local economy as residents are selling food and souvenirs to the increasing numbers of visitors visiting the area. It is becoming particularly popular with photo enthusiasts, which is unsurprising given the sheer number of opportunities it presents for stunning images. It’s also a social victory, as Kampung Pelangi was considered to be a slum in its former life, but now it is clean, attractive and vibrant. Mayor of Semarang, Hendrar Prihadi, helped with the painting himself, and it is hoped to ultimately extend the colourful theme to a total of 390 houses.
The transformation was seen as an important social project, as it is encouraging citizens’ involvement in improving and beautifying their surroundings. It is expected that the overall budget will ultimately reach Rp 2 billion as other activities need to be carried out in the area, including clearing and cleaning the local river.
Source : lonelyplanet.com || vogue.com
