Colonial history haunts mystery city of Semarang

Colonial history haunts mystery city of Semarang

Simon Marcus Gower, Contributor, Semarang

"This is a strange and scary place," says our guide, Heru.
Walking around Semarang's notable architecture, we have arrived
at a sad looking but once grand building.

Heru continues, "This is Lawang Sewu, the building that is
supposed to have one thousand doors but nobody can say for sure
exactly how many doors the building really has."

This sounds mysterious but apparently every time anybody has
attempted to count the number of doors in the building, the final
total is always different. Sometimes a little more than one
thousand, sometimes less but never the same figures twice.

Some might put this down to simple human error and
miscalculation but according to Heru it is one of the mysteries
and supernatural aspects of this now derelict building. Numerous
ghosts have apparently been seen wandering the building's
balconies too, mostly taking the form of colonial Dutch figures.

Lawang Sewu was once an administrative center for the Dutch
but now it is a sad, empty shell that is being left to fall down,
so it seems. This is really sad because architecturally it is
intriguing. Seeming to combine mosque-like Arabic elements with
European colonial designs, its now derelict state creates a
quite eerie sight with shattered windows, doors swinging in the
breeze and lost grandeur pervading the whole site.

Similarly eerie are the tales of street people using the empty
building for shelter only to never be seen again -- so the
stories go. The uneasy spirits that reside at the site have
apparently abducted them. Within the grounds of the building is a
monument to Indonesians that fought off attacks from the Dutch,
which reminds us of the battles that have been fought in and
around Semarang.

Indeed it is possible to believe that Semarang would be home
to many "uneasy spirits" because it has a history that at times
has been quite bloody.

The city is one of Indonesia's oldest. Established by the
Mataram kingdom, it was the Mataram king Amangkurat I that first
tried to hand-over control of the city to the Dutch in 1677. But
the people of Semarang were not so passive and resisted for
around 30 years.

Only after much conflict did the colonial powers manage to
quell the rebellious Semarang population.

About 30 years after that, another series of bloody events
shook Semarang. In 1741, in retaliation for the murders of
Chinese people in Batavia (now Jakarta), the Chinese community of
Semarang rose-up and attacked the Dutch. But the Dutch did not
tolerate this, and with Madurese fighters as their allies they
slaughtered a significant portion of the then resident Chinese
population.

The Chinese community of Semarang did, however, survive this.
To this day there is a significant Chinatown in the city that
includes the oldest Chinese temple in Java -- Klenteng (Temple)
Sam Poo Kong -- also known as Gedung Batu, that dates from 1772.
Also, it is estimated that upwards of one-third of the city's
more than one million total population is of Chinese extraction.

There are, also, some remarkable architectural survivors from
Dutch times in the city but many of these are suffering a similar
fate to that of Lawang Sewu.

Perhaps the finest example of Dutch colonial architecture,
which is also surviving and in reasonable condition, is that of
Gereja Blenduk (Domed Church).

It is immediately obvious why this church is named this when
you see its brown dome shining in the brilliant Semarang
sunlight.

Again, the depth of history is clear here because this church
is the oldest in Central Java. When originally built in 1753, it
must have had spacious surroundings but now the roads that cut
close by its classical portico means that traffic noise can
disturb the worshipers within the church. Inside there are only a
few decorations, with a Baroque organ and the pulpit being about
the most decorative and dominant items.

Generally, the church is rather solemn looking but again it is
easy to imagine colonial spirits lingering in the building and
occupying the simple church pews.

Immediately opposite Gereja Blenduk is another building with a
dome. This office building shines brilliant white in the sunshine
and looks good but it is not fully occupied. Like Lawang Sewu it
seems to combine Arabic and European influences and although
better maintained than Lawang Sewu, this office of PT Asuransi
Jiwasraya still seems in need of better conservation.

Further down the road from this office building stands a quite
unusual architectural sight for Java.

The building, known as Marba Maatschapy, has fine redbrick
construction that is rarely seen in Java. At street level the
building seems sadly underused with cigarette kiosks and boards
blocking up most of its frontage. Only by standing back from the
building can you get a sense of its fine construction by looking
at the upper story.

Today, it partially contains a regional headquarters of one of
Indonesia's many political parties but the fine detailing of the
building and its robust construction stand as a testimony to
times gone by when it would have been more fully utilized. In
some respects it looks out of place because it is a quite typical
European form of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It looks
more Central Europe than Central Java.

Mostly Semarang's architectural heritage is of colonial origin
and perhaps this haunts Semarang to this day and makes people
more reluctant to conserve these significant buildings. Most of
them are either empty and falling down as with Lawang Sewu or
just partially occupied as with Marba Maatschapy.

One small exception does, though, exist. Tucked between an
ugly glass paneled 1970s building and a busy little street, Toko
Oen sits on Jl. Pemuda.

This antiquated cafe/restaurant was established in colonial
times and so might even have a few ghosts of its own but it
remains in active use.

Despite the best, or worst, efforts and effects of the endless
fast-food outlets that infest all of Java's cities, Toko Oen
remains active and a living reminder of a time, perhaps, rather
more elegant and restful.

You will not find plastic furniture or disposable cups and
plates here. The furniture is original colonial wood and
wickerwork and you may restfully relax amongst wood paneled walls
and high ceilings with gentle fans doing little more than
circulating the air.

There is another Toko Oen in Malang, East Java, and it too has
the restful, antiquated colonial feel that Semarang's Toko Oen
has. But the waitresses in Semarang will tell you that the two
have no business relationship now. However, they share many
characteristics.

Semarang's Toko Oen (like Malang's) has a pastry counter at
the entrance and offers Western, Chinese and Indonesian dishes.
In addition, an exotic and extensive variety of specialty ice-
creams adds to the quite unique quality of the cuisine on offer
here.

Toko Oen is an original and pleasant experience but you can't
help feeling that it is being squeezed and pushed closer to
closure.

Semarang, like so many other cities in Indonesia, has in
recent years seen a growth in its shopping malls and fast-food
chains that all sideline original and one-off places like Toko
Oen.

Modern Semarang seems to be turning its back on the past but
there are still remnants of that past that seem to haunt this
city. A significant portion of the city (from its central post
office to the railway station) includes outstanding examples of
colonial architecture. But like the colonial people that once
occupied them, these buildings too may be gone before too long.

Semarang is perhaps haunted by its sometimes difficult history
but its remaining architectural reminders of that history are
worth conserving.

In the 19th century the Dutch effectively abandoned Semarang
as Jakarta's and Surabaya's ports became more dominant. It would
be a shame if Semarang now really did abandon its architectural
treasures.

Tourist guides will still describe them as "beautiful
buildings" and "colonial masterpieces". So even if they are
haunting and haunted they must be worth saving. Tourists and
local people can still feel enriched by their presence.