A nineteenth-century building
Once a colonial orphanage.
consigliere ivan from Bontang, Indonesia — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Haffata Yahfitu — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Haffata Yahfitu — CC BY-SA 4.0
An elegant nineteenth-century colonial building in the old town, with a white facade and great columns, which was an orphanage in the Dutch era, then was bought in the 1930s by the founder of the Sampoerna tobacco company and became a factory, part of it now a museum of the company's and the city's history. The museum shows photographs, old tools and objects from the founding family's life. Its best-known feature is the upper gallery overlooking the factory floor, where hundreds of women hand-roll cigarettes at astonishing speed on working days. The building also has a cafe and shop, and a free heritage bus tour of the old town leaves from here. Entry is free. Note that it is a tobacco company's museum and the smell of tobacco is noticeable, so it may not suit those sensitive to it or young children. Photography is not allowed above the work floor. What makes it worth visiting is the building itself and the free heritage bus tour, which passes old-town sights with a guide's commentary; book your seat early.
Once a colonial orphanage.
A free old-town bus.
Old photos and tools.
Taman Sampoerna, old town, Surabaya
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