https://nz.trip.com/moments/detail/semarang-1506-119504528?locale=en-NZ
Polka13Indonesia
levelIconSenior Travel Expert

Beautiful, Historical, and Horror?

This is said to be the 2nd most horror building in South East Asia. I went here as my husband is a history nerd, and you haven't been to Semarang if you haven't checked Lawang Sewu off your destinations list. Built in 1904, this building was initially an office of Dutch train company, Nederlandsch-Indische Spoorweg Maatschappij (NISM), back when Indonesia was still occupied by the Dutch. It has a lot of doors and wide windows to maximize air circulation. That's why people call it "Lawang Sewu", in English it means "A Thousand Doors". So where are the horror things? It all went down when Japan came and took turns to occupy Indonesia. Every senior said Japanese were much more cruel than the Dutch. So they seized the building (and every other important building), and used the basement (which was a waterway system) as prison, torture, and decapitating chambers for their opponents. That includes us locals, Dutch, and everybody who didn't please the Japanese. They even threw the headless bodies down the river next to the building. That's why the river was called "Kali Merah" or the Red River. The building itself was very beautiful and built so thoughtfully. The architecture, the view, the tinted glasses, etc. But the basement is now even more flooded and prohibited for the visitors, although it used to be open until 2014.
Posted: Aug 7, 2023
Polka13
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Lawang Sewu

4.5/526 reviews | Historic buildings
Semarang
No.2 of Best Things to Do in Central Java
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