Franz Wilhelm Junghuhn: The Legend of the Natural Scientist from Java

Franz Wilhelm Junghuhn (1809–1864) was a prominent naturalist who spent more than two decades studying the natural environment of the Dutch East Indies. His name is legendary in Bandung, especially for his contributions to the cultivation of quinine and the mapping of vegetation and climate zones in Java. However, his works, written in German during the 19th century, have remained largely inaccessible to the public, as they have never been translated into Indonesian.

Now, two of his most important works are being introduced to Indonesian readers for the first time:

1. “Light and Shadow from Java” (2025), a translation of Licht- und Schattenbilder aus dem Innern von Java (1854), presents Junghuhn’s philosophical reflections after 13 years of exploration in Java.
2. “Franz Junghuhn: Journey through the Island of Java (1835–1839)”, a translation of Topographische und naturwissenschaftliche Reise durch Java (1845), is a scientific travel journal complete with color illustrations by Junghuhn himself.

Supported by the Goethe-Institut Bandung, these two books are now being introduced to the public, marking an important first step in preserving Junghuhn’s scientific legacy. This initiative also aims to inspire further translations of his major works, including Java: Its Shape, Plant Cover and Internal Structure and The Batak Lands in Sumatra.

The event will be held in a hybrid format, combining on-site attendance with online participation via a digital platform. Malik Ar Rahiem has known of Junghuhn since childhood as a legendary figure in Bandung. In 2017, he began to engage more deeply with Franz Junghuhn’s works while studying at the Technical University of Darmstadt in Germany. In 2021, Malik published the book "Naturalis Jerman di Tanah Priangan" ("German Naturalists in the Land of Priangan"), which documents the journeys of four 19th-century German naturalists to the Priangan region: Salomon Müller, Franz Junghuhn, Ferdinand Höchstetter, and Karl Martin.

After returning to Germany in 2023, Malik began translating Junghuhn’s philosophical work Licht- und Schattenbilder aus dem Innern von Java. He self-published the book under the title "Cahaya dan Bayang-Bayang dari Jawa" ("Light and Shadows from Java"). In 2024, he started translating Junghuhn’s scientific travel journal Topographische und naturwissenschaftliche Reise durch Java, which was published as "Franz Junghuhn: Berkelana di Pulau Jawa (1835–1839)" ("Franz Junghuhn: A Journey through the Island of Java (1835–1839)").

Since 2023, Malik has been working as a researcher at the Thünen Institute, a German federal research institute for agriculture, based in the city of Braunschweig.

He regularly creates content on topics such as geology, the environment, history—and especially about Franz Junghuhn. His social media channels are followed by over 65,000 accounts, with more than 40 million views in the past two years.
In 2016, Malik received the 7101 Award from the ITB (Bandung Institute of Technology) Geology Alumni Association as an outstanding young alumnus.