Lawang Sewu, which has a significan value to Indonesian history, especially Semarang, is renowned for its sturdy old colonial building that looks spooky.
Lawang Sewu is Javanese words, it means "A Thousand Doors" for it has prodigious doors. And Lawang Sewu, which is on the corner of Pemuda St, was built during the Dutch controlled Indonesia as the headquarter of Dutch East Indies Railway Company.
Lawang Sewu's bricks were made in Netherlands
When Indonesia was under Japanese colony in 1942, Japanese troops took over Lawang Sewu and B building basement, which was flooded under the Dutch to cool down the building, turned into a dreadful prison with tortures and several executions were undertaken there.
Lawang Sewu, a three-story building, is considered to be one of the most haunted tourist spots in Indonesia. Ghost stories spread from mouth to mouth, especially from the B building basement, even broadcasted on reality television shows. However, the B building basement tour, which was believed to be the core of Lawang Sewu tour, was closed down whIle the building was being renovated. But i was lucky i had joined the tour before the B building was renovated.
On the orher hand, to attract more visitors to come, the State Train Operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia, which owns Lawang Sewu, has been transforming the image of spooky Site become more comfortable and friendly tourist attractions in Semarang.
Lawang Sewu
Location :
Jalan Pemuda Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia