May 11, 2026
SEMERANG is the capital of Central Java, the world's 13th largest island and the 5th largest in Indonesia. Despite it's size, it is the world's most populous island, holding over 150 Million people (over 55% of Indonsesia's population). Today, I did a 50 person bus tour of some of the Semerang's history, so I could cover a lot in one day.
First stop,Lewang Sewu meaning "thousand doors" in Javanese is a dutch colonial building built from 1904 to 1907 for the Dutch East Indies Railway Co. as it's headquarters, then became a japanese prison during WWII and is now a popular haunted iconic museum.
Turns out there is only 928 doors, but I like the way they all line up and open to balcony surrounding the building.
Next was Masjid Agung Jawa Tengah a sprawling modern complex inaugurated in 2006 and has a capacity of up to 15,000 worshippers. The 2 photos below from their website shows the massive site. The spacious courtyard has giant hydraulic umbrellas, that they only use twice a year to accommodate the large crowds that come for Ramadan.
Next we had a lunch buffet stop at Alam Indah Resto which was perched high up in the hills overlooking downtown Semerang.
Then on to the PAGODA AVALOKITESVARA, the tallest pagoda in Indonesia. It's a prominent Buddhist site representing love.
