Lawang Sewu, Semarang Overview

A famous landmark in Semarang, Central Java, Lawang Sewu is quite often referred to as one of the most haunted places in Indonesia. Lawang Sewu refers to “a thousand doors”, although it doesn’t really have a thousand doors. This landmark is well-maintained even though it has a spooky past and is definitely a must-visit not only for those who want to test their fears but also those who are interested in Dutch-colonial history.

Not only is this place extremely photogenic but the story of Lawang Sewu is a combination of multiple narratives. These include myths and tales about the torment that occured in the 1940s by the Japanese Troops in Indonesia. People often claim to have captured ghosts and spirits in their photographs. Along with the spooky image, the empty corridors with marble staircases will leave you with an eerie feeling. All in all, people visit Lawang Sewu in order to admire unique European-style structures that tell them stories of a time when the nation was fighting for its freedom, leaving them in a bittersweet state along with a sense of patriotism.

Important Facts

Even though there is no particular harm in visiting Lawang Sewu at night, visitors are recommended to go there during the day.
The state-owned railway company has been using different images of Lawang Sewu in order to make it a more attractive tourist spot.
This building has around 600 windows.
Lawang Sewu was initially the headquarters of the Nederlands-Indische Spoorweg Maatschappij.
This building is one of the 102 protected historical or ancient buildings.
Lawang Sewu sees an average of 1000 visitors every day and an average of 3000 on the weekend.

History

This building has been considered as the most haunted landmarks in Indonesia, comprising witness and knowledge of past events in this country. Lawang Sewu was built between 1906 and 1917. This Dutch-colonial building was formed in a way that there are different buildings and a square in the middle. In the 1940s, after Indonesia declared independence, this building was used as the battleground for the bloodshed in Semarang. The Japanese troops took over Lawang Sewu and used the basement as a prison to torture and execute a large number of people. As a result, this place is said to be haunted by ghosts originating from stories of prisoners, visitors and owners of this place. In the memory of those who were killed in the battle of 1945, Tugu Muda monument was built followed by an annual commemoration of the 5-day struggle at Lawang Sewu. The myths and tales of this building are quite popular even today, making Lawang Sewu a country-famous attraction.

How To Reach Lawang Sewu

Lawang Sewu is located in Semarang, Central Java. It can be reached from Semarang from different places in Java. The following bus companies: Rosa Indaliah, Safari Dharma Raya and Raya that are a few reputed travel companies.
Local transport within Semarang such as buses go from a few spots to this landmark. Buses A, DKM, Q, F, P1, DP, P4 and TV go from Surabaya and buses C8, 2, R3D, 4 and 5 go from Kota Semarang to Lawang Sewu.