Lawang Sewu

Lawang Sewu means 'a thousand doors' in Javanese. It has a lot of them, but probably not that many. Built as the headquarters of the Dutch East Indies railway company in 1907, over time it served various purposes. The Dutch reputedly used the basement as a jail and torture centre. During World War II it was used as the Japanese army's headquarters in Semarang, and further atrocities were committed by the Japanese. The attic, with its twin water towers, was used by the military as a badminton court. Reputed to be haunted. Tour guides are available at the building's entrance. Flashlight tours of the basement, with its interesting system of small pools of water to help keep it cool, are a fun scare.

Address

Jl Pemuda, Sekayu

Getting there

right on the Tugu Muda roundabout

Hours

Closed · opens 7 am

Weekly hours

Mon	7 am–9 pm
Tue	7 am–9 pm
Wed	7 am–9 pm
Thu	7 am–9 pm
Fri	7 am–9 pm
Sat	7 am–9 pm
Sun	7 am–9 pm