A short trip to Semarang has given me a newer perspective about multiculturalism and newer insight about the country’s past and how it shapes the society today. There is something intriguing about the city’s heritage and uniqueness that I have rarely seen in another city. One can say, in this city the west meets the east and creates a unique melting pot that is uniquely preserved for years. As you can see in my previous posts, I have visited some amazing places that are part of the city’s rich cultural heritage. In this post, I will dive into the 6 hours version that you can do in Semarang and the last series of my trip in Semarang. I hope this will provide more insight about the city and what you can do in the city just in case you are visiting Semarang. You will also find itineraries and some helpful tips about the city. For the previous post on how to get to Semarang, you can check this post out Trip to little Netherlands.

On this trip, my journey started at 8:00 AM on Saturday and I started walking from 9:00 AM. I got breakfast at Starbucks and coffee to power up through my day. It was quite a hot day and I think that one thing people should know before visiting, Semarang, especially the heritage area, is pretty hot and the sun is quite blazing. So, make sure to apply sunscreen or your preference and wear appropriate clothing before exploring the city. Today as usual since there is only 6 hours allocated, there are about 4 places (including old town) that I will show you today. The first destination is the old town because there is one place that I wanted to check out,Semarang Contemporary Art Gallery. Then from there, I went to the oldest temple in Semarang Sam Poo Kong, and finally, the landmark of Semarang Lawang Sewu, a historical building that used to be the office of the train company.

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The Location

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Semarang consists of 2 parts that are commonly know. It's the hilly area and the hotter area. Since in this trip, I was mostly focusing on the hotter part of Semarang. Anyhow, for the map purpose, I will pin this in Sam Poo Kong temple, the place that's most further away from the other two, the art gallery and Lawang Sewu.

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Without further ado.... let's go!

Semarang Contemporary Art Gallery

This art gallery is nestled among the alleyways of the old town but it’s easier to find through google maps. It took me about 3 minutes walking from the center of the old town to reach this art gallery. The entrance to this gallery is 20000 IDR and the security, who was also acting as the ticketing staff, was really friendly and chatty as well. Luckily, when I was inside the gallery, there was an exhibition from a Japanese artist called “Kanoko”.

The exhibition was called “ Kune Kune” in which according to the description on that picture above, it’s basically about shapes that are present in our life that sometimes visible or not visible. This gallery has two floors and though the collection wasn’t as much as a big gallery it was quite intriguing to see the works from Kanoko. Not only painting there was also sculpture that was quite abstract. I took many pictures from this gallery but in this post, I only chose the ones that was the most intriguing to me.

My favorite painting from the artist

From the brochure that I got from the gallery, the building is as much historical as its nearby buildings in the area. In the past, this building was called de indische lloyd, the first insurance company in Indonesia. Simultaneously, inside the art gallery, you can also find the history of the building and also its surroundings before it was renovated and become the art gallery today.

Before leaving the place, I was actually intrigued with an art work that was displayed nearby the exit. I stopped and looked then the staff approached me. According to the staff, the painting below was depicting the social inequalities and social problems in such detailed artwork. You can also see some barriers that separates modernity vs traditional life or you can interpret it as the rich vs poor, whichever you like. However to me this work has been very profound.

I was told by the staff to examine the details and saw the walls between traditional living vs the modernisation that happens in the picture. I would say, this is my third time visiting a private gallery that exhibits contemporary art work. The other one I visited in the past was more about photography and another was from a famous Indonesian abstract painter called Affandi. Appreciating the art in that place was quite a challenge to me. Kune kune doesn’t speak to me and I think that’s okay. But I saw some enthusiastic visitors who were in awe about the work and came because they saw it from social media. If going to an art gallery is your thing, this gallery is a must visit if you ever go to Semarang. However, you can also skip this option and move to one of the iconic places in Semarang, the Chinese temple and the oldest one called Sam Poo Kong.

The Oldest Temple in Semarang Sam Poo Kong

I heard about this temple from a friend of mine back in 2017. She is from Semarang and recommended this temple to visit. Only about a few days ago, I ended up going there and was quite amazed by what I saw. This place of worship was estimated to be built around the 15th century and it was built by admiral from China, Zheng He. He is also the main figures that are wrapped around this area. Many of its compound are also dedicated to him and his followers.

In that information board it has some directory of the complex and information about the date and why the place was built. This complex is pretty massive but it won't take you much to explore all the buildings around it. In Semarang heat, it can be quite challenging to explore this place but with some willingness, it was quite doable to do so.

In this temple, there are two ticketing systems. Before visiting the place, I was reading reviews and people were disappointed about it. But since I already know, that's fine by me. So, the first one is that you have to pay 20000 IDR just to access the courtyard of the temple. Below are the pictures that you can see from the courtyard.

So not only you can see the temple, you can see Zheng He statue. When I was taking pictures, I saw airplane flew over it.

At the time I was there, there were events and a lot of people gathered. I tried to get away from the crowd and eventually got into the main complex where there’s one more ticketing system. Usually people who got into the main complex will have to pay an extra 20000 IDR. You can also pray in this temple if you believe in the religion but you can also just explore the place like I did.

The thing that makes the money worth it is that in the back of the main temple you can see stone carving about the story and achievement of admiral Zheng He. Since I like history and historical stories, it was worth it for me. This is the things that you can see from the main temple.

I love the atmosphere of the place and it’s something similar to the vibe that I often feel whenever I go to a worship place. It was also interesting that at the same time, I was learning new parts of history that are not familiar to me. The Chinese presence in this part of the city is quite prominent and it traces back dating from the 1400s. I was alone while strolling the stone carvings and reading the history of Admiral Zheng He. It was the summarized version of what he has achieved in lifetime but his spirit of courage somehow inspired me. As an admiral, he also established good relationship with other countries as well.

Depiction of Admiral Zhang He

An excerpt that basically mentioned where he was from and his journey to the far east.

Both are picture that describes how he was contributing in helping the Javanese win the civil war

Those stone carvings are impeccable., although I do not know when it was made. I suppose it is a bit recent more than the complex itself. Last but not least, apparently in this temple you can hang the lampion with your name and wishes. Many people were doing that but it was a bit too costly for me. So, the lampion that you see below are the wishes of people from all around the country possibly the world too.

After circling the area, I ended up trying to explore the off beaten path from this temple that led me to smaller temple and also a place that looks like gate. I think this is a photo spot but it was pretty far back and a bit dark. I doubt that people actually go around here.

After walking through it, I went to the exit and got myself a fridge stickers as I also want to collect them from the places I have been to. From Sam Poo Kong, I took online transportation, Grab to my next and the last essential things to see in Semarang, Lawang Sewu which is also the landmark of the city and what it is known for.

Lawang Sewu The Fascinating History and Architecture of Semarang's Icon

I talked about this place quite a bit in Koopwaar Kopen in Lawang Sewu - Getting An Enamel Coffee Mug . I basically mentioned how I know the place and how it got famous. Prior visiting, I did not know many about the place and only that I know it has thousands doors, as the locals believed it to be. But what exactly is Lawang Sewu?

Lawang Sewu according to this board below is basically a place where they print tickets and office building for the NIS (Nederlands(ch)-Indische Spoorweg Maatschappij), the dutch railway office. There are a three main compounds that you can see in the area. I only went to check out the museum and the main compound.

My first destination was unlike others, I visited the museum to actually understand what is Lawang Sewu and why it was built. This new indies architecture has an aura about it that's creepy but also the history itself is quite grim. Although in the museum, I was mostly learning about the architecture and even stumbled across the blue print of this building.

More inside the building of the museum in Lawang Sewu. This is only one building that has the blueprint of the architecture. There are more exhibition but that's going to be in the next building.

As I left that building, I got to the main building where it was more crowded. People were taking pictures and admiring the place and its architecture. I got to see many influences of European architecture. In the main building there are also many mementos from the past and miniature of trains.

More history about lawang sewu and how it was built. I would say, it was interesting learning about this compound that actually was just an office yet still stands till today and serves as memento of the past era from Dutch colonial to Japanese occupation.

Then after I was exhausted walking, I ended up going to the exit and checking out the building from it. There were many people taking pictures and even the day I was leaving the area, the place is always packed. I think people are drawn to this place not only for its architecture and history but sometimes there are events inside the building and some food stalls selling various street food as well.

I left the place knowing that it wasn't as haunting as I thought. No wonder this place is the icon of the city because the historical value that it has and the intriguing story that happened in the past that serves as reminder of a dark era.

Once again, Semarang can get pretty hot, so it's always best to wear appropriate clothing. The city is also pretty modern and well-connected that you never have to worry about getting around. Many of its historical sites are located within the city so it's not difficult to reach. Overall, eating out and visiting places are also not too expensive.

These places I mentioned are must-visit and see when you visit Semarang. Although there are areas where you can see the hills and the beach but what makes Semarang worth visiting are its historical and cultural heritage that makes the city a melting pot of all different cultures. Visiting the city is like traveling through the past, the present and the future.