A thousand doors
Built for ventilation.
Philip Nalangan — CC BY 4.0 · Philip Nalangan — CC BY 4.0 · P. Hughes — CC BY 4.0 · Philip Nalangan — CC BY 4.0
Semarang's best-known landmark, a huge colonial building from the early twentieth century built as the headquarters of the Dutch East Indies railway company. Its name means a thousand doors in Javanese, for its many doors and tall windows designed to ventilate the building in the tropical heat. It faces Tugu Muda square and its monument. Visitors wander long corridors and high-ceilinged halls, see superb stained-glass windows on the main staircase depicting the city's history, and an exhibition on Indonesia's railway history. The Japanese used it in the Second World War, and its cellars are said to have been prisons, earning it a local reputation for ghost stories. Tickets are around thirty thousand rupiah, guided tours are available, and some cellars can sometimes be visited for an extra fee. The building is lit in the evening. Come in the late afternoon and stay into the evening to see it lit from Tugu Muda square. It is near the Mandala Bhakti museum and Pandanaran street for sweets and souvenirs.
Built for ventilation.
On the main staircase.
The old railway HQ.
Tugu Muda square, central Semarang
Simpang Lima SquareSemarang's central square, a broad lawn where five main roads meet, hence its na19 minutes walk
Sam Poo Kong Temple ComplexA large Chinese temple complex honouring the Muslim admiral Cheng Ho, who, the s24 minutes walkGhost stories are part of its local fame, but daytime visits are perfectly ordinary and family-friendly. Night cellar tours are for thrill-seekers.