Lawang Sewu

Centrala Java · Indonesia · Museum

Lawang Sewu — Centrala Java · Indonesia · Museum

In the dark basement of this colonial palace, the screams of prisoners from the Japanese occupation are said never to have fallen silent.

Lawang Sewu – "a thousand doors" – was built in 1904 as the headquarters of the Dutch colonial railway company in Semarang. During the Japanese occupation its basement was turned into a prison where captives were crammed into standing cells, tortured and executed. Visitors tell of a weeping Dutch woman in the corridors and of a shadowy figure with glowing green eyes that approaches anyone who dares meet its gaze in the underground passages. The building is a museum today, but the evening walks down into the damp cells rank among the most feared in Indonesia.

FAQ

Where is Lawang Sewu located?

Lawang Sewu is in Centrala Java, Indonesia.

More haunted places in Centrala Java

Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.

Image: NaidNdeso · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons