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Historic places in Medan

6 historic buildings, sites and memorials in Medan.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first.

Historic places in Medan

  1. Eat

    Kedai Kopi Apek

    Historic coffee house with excellent Lintong Coffee served up by Apek. This place was set up by Apek's father in 1922. Serves kopi susu and roti bakar srikaya (kaya toast). Contains stalls with Indian roti cane bread with goat curry, martabak and soto soup. Outside are nasi gurih, bakmi and kwetiau noodles. Piece of Medan history.

  2. See

    Maimoon Palace

    Istana Maimun

    A royal palace of Sultanate of Deli, built by Sultan Makmun Al Rasyid Perkasa Alamsyah in years 1887–1891, the palace covers 2,772 m² and has 30 rooms. It has unique interior design, mixing elements of Malay cultural heritage, Islam, Spanish, Indian and Italian style. Only a small number of rooms can be visited, with a history of the sultan family and a few artefacts, portraits and photographs and partly occupied by shops. Quite busy and popular place with locals and tourists. Additional fee if want to get photos in traditional costume (Rp50,000). No English text.

    Rp10,000

  3. See

    North Sumatra Museum

    Museum Negeri Sumatra Utara

    It is the largest museum in North Sumatra which displays various historical and cultural relics of the nation, arts and crafts from various ethnic groups in North Sumatra.

    Tue-Sun, 08:30-16:00

  4. See

    Sri Mariamman Temple

    Kuil Shri Mariamman

    A Tamil Hindu temple. Beware: there are two of these! This one's the one on the corner not so far from town. The other one is down a long alley and is closed up. Featuring many brightly colored statues of all the major gods from the Tamil Hindu pantheon and a few naga stones, this temple is testament to the reach of the ancient Tamil maritime empire and the age of the Tamil community in Sumatra. Events regularly take place at this temple.

    Free

  5. Eat

    Tip Top Restaurant

    Used to be the restaurant in Medan, this unique restaurant can trace its history back to the Dutch colonisation. The food has a nostalgic taste clinging on every bite, such as the ox-tongue sandwich and the bitter-ballen, but the best experience you could have here is watching the buzz of Kesawan Square from your rattan chair on the verandah. Also famous for its cake.

  6. See

    Tjong A Fie Mansion

    Rumah Tjong A Fie

    This mansion was built by an important businessman in Medan, a leader of the local Chinese community who formed several successful business ventures in his lifetime, working with both Dutch colonial authorities, Indonesian Muslims, plantation owners, exporters and worldwide traders of all stripes. Because of his substantial wealth and philanthropic activities involving mosques, hospitals, temples and orphanages, Tjong A Fie became a defining figure in the history of Medan. He worked to improve conditions for those on tobacco, rubber and other plantations, objecting to indentured servitude and other degrading work conditions for ethnic Chinese laborers. This colorful and ornately decorated building tells his story, and that of his descendants, as well as filling in some details about the city's past.

    Rp35,000

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Medan (CC BY-SA 4.0).