Kota Lama

Have your camera ready as you explore Semarang’s Kota Lama, the former colonial Dutch city centre (sometimes referred to as the Dutch, Oudstadt) and Semarang’s most captivating area of town.

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In its heyday this was the booming trade hub of this once cosmopolitan city, the location of Indonesia’s first railway station and home of distinctive hybrid architecture. As the city landscape changed and developed, the area was all but abandoned, and many of the glorious old buildings fell into disrepair and were left to rot.

Not quite ageing gracefully. Photo taken in or around Kota Lama, Semarang, Indonesia by Sally Arnold.

Not quite ageing gracefully. Photo: Sally Arnold

However work has begun to transform Kota Lama and several buildings have undergone fabulous contemporary renovations or restorations although many are still crumbling into their foundations. Plans to develop this area into a tourism district are afoot and in 2015 the old city was nominated for a UNESCO Heritage listing, but we’ll just have to ... Travelfish members only (Full text is around 300 words.)

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