The death wagon
A tragic relic from 1947.
consigliere ivan from Bontang, Indonesia — CC BY 2.0 · Kanzcech — CC BY 4.0 · Sizzling Tea — CC BY 4.0
A military museum on Jalan Ijen, Malang's loveliest palm-lined boulevard, telling the story of East Java's struggle for independence in the 1940s and named after Brawijaya, the East Java military command, itself named after a king of Majapahit. At the entrance stand a statue of General Sudirman, old tanks and cannons. Inside are weapons, uniforms, documents and photographs from the war of independence and the battles of Surabaya. Its best-known exhibit is an iron railway wagon known as the death wagon, into which Indonesian prisoners were crammed in 1947, many dying of suffocation and heat, along with a boat used by fighters. Entry is a token fee. Labels are mostly in Indonesian, so a guide or a phone translation helps. An hour is enough, and it suits history lovers. Pair it with a walk along Jalan Ijen, with its large colonial villas and its Sunday-morning market.
A tragic relic from 1947.
In the entrance yard.
Colonial villas and palms.
Jalan Ijen, Malang
With a spare hour in the centre, yes, alongside a walk on Jalan Ijen. If time is short, Bromo and Batu come first.
