Lawang Sewu ( Thousand Doors )

Lawang Sewu or the Thousand Doors Indonesian is a magnificent building that was built in the colonial era Belanda. Now become one of the places Semarang City. Lawang Sewu is a relic of an ancient building which was built in 1904. Dutch Originally this building for corporate headquarters rail (tram) Dutch colonizers or Nederlandsch Indishe Spoorweg Naatschappij (NIS).

Three-story building art deco (1850-1940) is the work of renowned Dutch architect, Prof. Jacob F Klinkhamer, and BJ Queendag. Lawang Sewu is located on the east side Tugu Muda Semarang, or on the street corner and the road Pandanaran Youth. Called Lawang Sewu (Thousand Doors), this is because the building has a door that very much. In fact, the door that there were up to a thousand. This building has a lot of height and width of the window, so people often think of it as a door.

History Lawang Sewu

The history of this building is not separated from the history of railways in Indonesia because it was built as Het Hoofdkantoor Van de Nederlandsche - Indische Spoorweg Maatschappij (NIS) is the headquarters of the NIS, private railway companies in the East Indies Dutch were the first to build a railway line in Indonesia connecting Semarang with "Vorstenlanden" (Surakarta and Yogyakarta) with his first track Semarang Temanggung Strip in 1867.

Initially, administration NIS NIS was held in Semarang Station. The rapid growth of tissue followed by increased demand for workspace so it was decided to build administrative offices at the new location. The choice fell on land in the suburbs near the residence of the Resident Indies, at the southern end Bodjongweg Semarang. Directors NOS submit building plans to Prof. Jacob F Klinkhamer and B.J Ouendag, architect of Amsterdam Netherlands.

Implementation begins February 27, 1904, and was completed 1907. The soil on the road should be improved prior to the excavation depth of 4 meters and replaced by a layer of volcanic. The first building is done is a guard house and building printing, followed by the main building. Having used a few years, the expansion of the office held by creating an additional building in 1916-1918.

In 1873 the first railroad in the Indies completed. The road was built by Nederlandsch Indische Spoorweg Maatschappij (NIS), a private company which got the concession from the colonial government to connect the fertile agricultural areas in Central Java city of Semarang port (Durrant, 1972). The station in Semarang that was in Tambaksari not far from the harbor.

At the turn of the 20th century, NIS build a large new station. In 1914 the station Tambaksari replaced by Tawang Station. Earlier in 1908 also completed a new NIS headquarters, the building was located just down the road Bodjong, in Wilhelmina Plein opposite the governor's residence.

NIS's new headquarters is a large building 2 floors shaped "L" designed by J.F Klinkhamer and Ouendag in the Renaissance Revival style (Sudrajat, 1991). He said the construction of the head office of NIS in Semarang is typically 2 decades of the early 20th century when it was introduced ethical politics, when it "... Emerging needs were large enough for building public buildings and housing, as a result of the expansion of the colonies, the decentralization of the colonial administration and the growth of private business"

Semarang resident gave him the name "Lawang Sewu" (a thousand doors), refer to the door very much, which is business architects to build a modern office building in accordance with a tropical climate Semarang. All the building materials were imported from Europe except brick, natural stone, and teak.

At the same time the Young Generation Train (AMKA) tries to take the train, fighting broke out between youths and Japanese soldiers, dozens of youths killed in this building, 5 of them are buried in the yard (but in 1975 their bodies were moved to Taman Makam Pahlawan ). Lawang Sewu standing in front of a monument to commemorate those who died in the Battle of Five Days.

Shortly after independence Lawang Sewu used Office Railway Company, then the military took over the building, but now have returned to the hands of PT KAI.