Semarang Heritage Walk: Railway to the Past
The first stop was at the railway heritage exhibition at the former "De Locomotief " newspaper building in the Old Town of Semarang. In the colonial era "De Locomotief " was one of - if not the most - progressive newspapers in Netherlands India. It was named "De Locomotief " because locomotives at that time were seen as symbols of progress and modernity. There were so many people who wanted to join the tour, more than the organisers had expected. Because of the demand, it was decided that instead of limiting the participants to 90, the maximum number would be 160. Three large buses were used to carry the participants. About two-third were university students of history, language and architecture. There were also some exchange students from Brazil sponsored by the local Rotary Club. Semarang Gudang (formerly Samarang NIS , Semarang's - and Indonesia's - first railway station) is officialy still a station but practically abandoned because of t...