With its giant interface growing city center, Semarang is also home to a sizeable Chinese population whose influence on local lifestyle. It is evident in the city’s cuisine and culture. The city’s core dates back to the colonial period, and many of the old buildings from this era are being revived. When full, this quarter will undoubtedly become the focal point of a visit for most travelers.
Nevertheless, a lot of the town’s dynamism is centered not on resurrecting past glories but on observing current achievement too. Semarang offers a genuine travel experience for all those seeking to know more about the capital of Central Java. Perhaps an experience more than Yogyakarta and Solo, which is favored by tourists. Below are the most favorite places in Semarang that must be visited.
- Simpang Lima
While Jl Pemuda, Semarang premier boulevard in Dutch instances, remains a significant artery and shopping street, Simpang Lima is the modern Semarang’s sociable hub. This grassy ‘square foot’ is encompassed by cinema complexes and malls that are modern. Crowds congregate here in the evenings and ramble past shops displaying. However, this does not seem to dent their excitement for the bright lights of these city consumer items that stay beyond the range of many.
- Lawang Sewu
Lawang Sewu (‘Thousand Doors’) is a famous landmark in Semarang. The structures are sparsely used with just the occasional exhibition (mainly about the railway system) onto viewpoint. Nonetheless, the vacant corridors, where engineers and clerks worked, have their particular curiosity, with features including a marble staircase along with stained glass. If you wander the buildings at night, there’s a chill rising to the unlit cellar from the open doorway and a strong sense of history. Little wonder the construction is regarded as a haunted house by locals. In actuality, during WWII, the Japanese utilized the dungeons and occupied the building. Sometimes tours of the flooded basement are run – described by some as a moving experience
- Old City
The atmospheric old quarter referred to the Outstadt of Semarang, is well worth exploring. Until recently, the majority of the area’s colonial buildings were left as city authorities. Today, however, a revived interest in the area with its obvious possibility of tourism has led to another investment. Such as coffee shops, stylish restaurants, and other attractions now occupy the townhouses. Although it’s fair to state that the revival project has something to do, there are still rewarding attractions here. Kids love DMZ: Dream Museum Zone, the 3D museum nearby Gereja Blenduk church. Built-in 1753, this church, with its big cupola, forms the middle of the old quarter round with several places to eat. A street market sells a few antiques, plus there is the Semarang Gallery, a well-respected contemporary art space. The city is prone to flooding, and throughout the rainy season, a number of these backstreets are impassable.
- Jamu Nyonya Meneer
This factory, close to the bus terminal, is just one of two outlets in Semarang, which generates Jamu, herbal medicine that’s been highly sought for centuries in Indonesia. It is now a part of the local myth. There’s no doubting its popularity, while the jury is still out on the exact nature of this remedy’s health-giving properties, deriving from organic ingredients.
- Chinatown
Semarang’s Chinatown is well worth exploring, especially around the riverside Gang Lombok. Together with food stalls and temples, pagodas, shop homes, jade jewelers, pharmacists, fortune tellers, the place exemplifies China’s relationship and this port city’s thickness. The entire community’s focus is the Tay Kak Sie Temple, dating back inside and its enormous drums.
Before you plan a trip to Semarang, be sure to read more about Semarang and Indonesia by visiting Wonderful Indonesia.
