"If you like visiting places with historical value in Surabaya, some of the areas below can be fun tourist references!"
Photo by Kristian Tandjung on Unsplash
Bearing the title City of Heroes, Surabaya still offers newcomers much space for exploration. Not only immigrants but also native residents of the second largest city in Indonesia have often not explored various anti-mainstream tourist spots in Surabaya.
Like every city with various stories behind its formation, Surabaya's history is still attached, even perfectly preserved in various selected corners. These corners, which offer a historical background of Surabaya, have now been designated as cultural heritage and can be visited as an entertainment alternative to the metropolitan city. Here are five educational tours full of history in Surabaya:
1. Rumah H.O.S. Cokroaminoto
One of Surabaya's unique historical destinations is the house of past warriors, H.O.S. Cokroaminoto. On November 27, 2017, the Surabaya City government designated this place a museum.
This house has a lot of history because it used to be H.O.S. Cokroaminoto, who once lived with his family. The doors of his house are always open to welcome historical heroes from various backgrounds as a place for dialogue. Some names who have stopped by are Alimin, Darsono, Tan Malaka, and Semaoen. This museum still holds around 143 collections of original relics from the H.O.S. era. Cokroaminoto while living in his house.
2. Tugu Pahlawan
Sumber: www.goodnewsfromindonesia.id
The Tugu Pahlawan Monument was erected to commemorate the services of the heroes of 10 November 1945, which is now celebrated as Heroes' Day. On that date, many heroes who fought in the war died in Surabaya.
This monument was erected in the middle of a large field which anyone can now visit. The Heroes Monument has a room inside the building that the public can visit to learn about the history of this historic Heroes' Day. One of the stories found at the Heroes Monument is the destruction of the Dutch colonial flag, which was successfully taken down. With the blue cloth on the Dutch flag torn off, the red and white cloth was raised again as a sign of Indonesia's resistance to the colonialists.
3. Gedung Bank Mandiri
Sumber: Instagram.com/SurabayaTempoDoeloe
The Bank Mandiri building is located on the corner of Jalan Pahlawan and Jalan Kebun Rojo. It was built in 1911 during the Dutch East Indies colonial era and still uses the NV Lindeteves Building. This building was previously used to repair role ships and was later used as a weapons warehouse during Japanese colonialism.
This building is attractive because of its historical moment. On November 10, 1945, it was used as a morgue. The Bank Mandiri Building is still open to the public, and it has various architectural remains from the Dutch to Japanese colonial era.
4. Gedung Siola
The Siola Building is one of the icons of Surabaya and is located on Jalan Tunjungan, which has been a business district for a long time. The Siola Building was built by Robert Laidlaw in 1877. Laidlaw was the owner of the large retail company Whiteaway Laidlaw & Co.
Based on its historical value, the Siola building was once a center for heroes to defend against the Allied army. When Indonesia gained independence in 1945, the Siola building became a trade center. Once separated from regional government ownership, in 2015, this building returned to Surabaya and officially became the Surabaya Museum, now one of the tourist attractions in the old city of Surabaya.
5. Hotel Majapahit
Not far from the Siola Building, another iconic building still operates today. This building is the Majapahit Hotel, previously known as Yamato Hoteru or Yamato Hotel.
Still related to the events of 10 November 1945, the Majapahit Hotel was a silent witness to the tearing of the flags of Indonesia's opponents at that time, causing the red and white colors to fly again.
The Majapahit Hotel building still has typical colonial-era architecture, making it an attractive choice for tourists who want to stay in a historic place. Every corner is still full of ancient building-style details, making the experience of staying at a five-star hotel even more memorable.
Surabaya's five selected historical places have emerged as fresh air amidst the metropolitan city's shopping tourism, heavily influenced by the capital, Jakarta. With the initiative of the Surabaya city government in promoting old city tourism, these five places have once again risen in popularity, making more and more people know and revisit the various past histories of this city, a symbol of Indonesia's struggle. When is it your turn to explore historical tourism in Surabaya?
