10 Historical Places in Indonesia that You Must Visit Once In A Lifetime

Historical Places in Indonesia – Visiting tourist attractions that contain profound historical value can always give a different sensation for your vacation. It would be really exciting to be able to see some of the places that you learned from history textbooks at school.

History, of course, has its own charm that can amaze certain visitors. Interestingly, in Indonesia, there are a lot of historical places that are no less attractive than modern tourist destinations.

Read more:

• Historical Landmarks in Yogyakarta That Are Worth Visiting
• Most Beautiful Temples in Indonesia to See in Your Lifetime
• Historical Places to Visit in Jakarta for a Fun Heritage Tour

10 Places in Indonesia with Historical Values

If you look back at the history of Indonesia, there are lots of historical places throughout the country. Here are some famous tourist spots and their historical stories that hopefully ignite your excitement. Check these out!

1. Lawang Sewu, Semarang

Lawang Sewu (One Thousand Doors) is a building in Semarang which is also known as one of the icons of this city. For your information, this building may be, or surely, older than you since its construction in 1904 and has been standing since 1907.

It is located on Jalan Pemuda, Semarang, right facing the Tugu Muda. At its early age, Lawang Sewu functioned as the Nederlands-Indische Spoorweg Maatschappij or NIS Administrative Headquarters. It is said that, apart from being an office, the basement in this building was used as a prison.

However, nowadays, this old building has become one of the most famous tourist spots in Semarang. Regardless of being called “a thousand doors”, this historical place actually only has 429 doors. However, in this building, there are so many door-sized windows that somehow add the numbers of the accumulated doors in this building.

2. Jam Gadang, Bukittinggi

As the icon of Bukittinggi, West Sumatra, Jam Gadang, which has been around since 1926, has a lot of historical value. This tower, whose construction process cost up to 3,000 guilders, has a base of 13 x 4 meters with a height of 26 meters and consists of several levels.

The construction of Jam Gadang, which literally means “Giant Clock Tower”, was initiated by the Dutch East Indies government on the orders of Queen Wilhelmina. Apparently, this clock was a gift for the secretary of Bukittinggi at the time, HR Rookmaaker. However, the original construction of this building was handled by an indigenous Minangkabau architect, Yazid Rajo Mangkuto Sutan Gigi Ameh.

Another fun fact is that this tower was built without using any steel supports and cement. Jam Gadang was only built using traditional materials such as lime, egg white, and white sand. Wow!

3. Maimun Palace, Medan

The Maimun Palace of Medan is a magnificent building that was the legacy of the Deli Sultanate and still stands firm until today. An Italian architect named Theo Van Erp built this palace and combines the architectural concepts of traditional, Malay, Middle Eastern, and European styles.

The palace, which has existed since 1887, has three parts of the building consisting of the main, right wing, and left wing. The beauty of Maimun Palace seems to radiate in every corner of the building that will tingle your hands to some pictures.

Furthermore, when you enter the palace, you will be mesmerized by the magnificent architecture inside which is mostly in golden yellow. Not only the interior design, all the furniture in this palace also has a luxurious design. You will surely feel special when visiting this historical palace.

4. Gedung Sate, Bandung

Gedung Sate should also be included in this list of historical places in Indonesia. The existence of this building is already very well-known in Bandung. Although the name suggests ‘satay’, Gedung Sate refers to “The House of Satay”, you won’t find any satay seller around this building. Local people call the building that way since there is this satay-shaped ornament on the roof.

But do you know, t-mates, that iconic ornament on the roof of Gedung Sate is supposed to represent six Syzygium aqueum (water apple)? Such a plot twist! Besides, local people, too, interpret the ornament as a sign of fertility of Bandung.

Formerly, this building was built during the reign of the Dutch East Indies, which at that time were to move the center of government from Batavia (Jakarta) to Bandung. However, since 1980, this building has been the office of the Governor of West Java.

Another thing to point out is the architecture. Gedung Sate itself adopts European, Asian, and Indonesian cultures in the building thus the magnificent appearance. Are you interested in visiting this historical place, t-mates?

5. Lake Toba and Samosir Island

The next historical place in Indonesia is Lake Toba and Samosir Island. This popular tourist attraction has become one of the Super Priority Tourist Destinations that has amazing natural beauty! The lake that was formed due to an ancient volcanic eruption named Mount Toba has historical value that is important for you to know.

Letusan dahsyat Gunung Toba yang terjadi 77.000 tahun lalu mengakibatkan banyak sekali perubahan alam. Selain terbentuknya Danau Toba, dari letusan ini juga terbentuk Pulau Samosir, pulau indah yang berada di tengah Danau Toba.

The massive eruption of Mount Toba that occurred 77,000 years ago caused a lot of natural changes. Not only the formation of Lake Toba but an island called Samosir Island was also formed owing to this eruption. It is such a beautiful island that complements Lake Toba.

This island which is in the middle of the vastest and deepest volcanic lake in the world has an area almost the same as the area of ​​Singapore. On this island, you can explore many tourist attractions. One of which is the Toba Batak traditional house, namely Bolon House, in Tomok Village. Very interesting right, t-mates?

6. Ende Regency

Have you ever gone to Ende in Flores? It turns out that there is also history that lies within this regency. To be precise, the first Indonesian president, Soekarno, along with his family, was once exiled by the Dutch to an exiled house in Ende’s. Now, the local government has made the house a historical site.

Besides the exiled house, there are other tourist attractions that you can visit when you stop by Ende, such as Lake Kelimutu. This lake is also known as “The Three Colors Lake”. Well, you guessed it; these three crater lakes can change color due to volcanic activity that occurs below them.

In addition, you can also visit several traditional villages here, such as Saga Traditional Village and Wologai Traditional Village. Furthermore, you can also get the chance to know and interact directly with the indigenous people while learning about their culture.

7. Baiturrahman Aceh Mosque

The Sultanate of Aceh, which experienced its peak of glory during the leadership of Sultan Iskandar Muda, did have a major influence on Islamic culture and religion in Aceh. It was at that time, too, that Aceh also got the nickname as the Veranda of Mecca.

If you want to take a vacation to Aceh, don’t forget to visit the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque. There are sources saying that this magnificent mosque was founded by Sultan Iskandar Muda in 1612.

After being burned by the Dutch, this historical place was rebuilt in 1879–1881 of which architectural style was made similar to Indian buildings. Over time, the construction of the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque was continued which resulted in the addition of two domes and two minarets on the west side. Due to that, it is called “Grand” as it is now. Wow!

8. Fort Rotterdam, Makassar

When you’re curious about historical places in Indonesia, then you must visit Fort Rotterdam. It used to be a defensive fort in Makassar and as you can tell, the fort is a relic from the Dutch colonial period. Nevertheless, the Kingdom of Gowa actually built this fort before fell into the hands of the Dutch in 1667.

Previously, this fort’s name was Ujung Pandang Fort. However, the Dutch changed the name as it is right now. Of course, then-Indonesian people would not remain silent and they tried to reclaim this fort led by Sultan Hasanuddin.

Today, Fort Rotterdam has become a busy tourist spot. Thanks to its strategic location, which is in front of the port of Makassar, you can easily watch the architectural style of this vintage fort.

9. Borobudur Temple

Borobudur Temple is a Buddhist-style temple located in a special location. Why is that? It is because this temple is flanked by two pairs of mountains, namely Mount Merapi and Merbabu, as well as Mount Sumbing and Sindoro of Magelang.

This temple is estimated to have been built in the 9th century and was completed in 50–70 years. Legend says that Gunadharma, who was the architect leading the construction of the temple, was unable to see the final result.

The Borobudur Temple is also unique since its construction did not use any adhesive material at all. The materials used were volcanic blocks, and amazingly, Borobudur Temple still stands until recent time.

Until now, apart from being a tourist destination, Borobudur Temple is still often used for various religious activities, especially on Vesak Day. Moreover, it’s no wonder that UNESCO granted this temple as one of the world heritage sites because of its splendor and natural beauty around it,.

10. Prambanan Temple

To end the list of historical places in Indonesia, we have Prambanan Temple. It is well-known since it has a connection with the folklore of Roro Jonggrang. Even though it’s just a myth, the establishment of this temple can still amaze you.

Prambanan Temple, also known as the “Thousand Temple complex”, was built as worship for Lord Shiva. This temple was built by Rakai Pikatan who at that time was the king of Ancient Mataram.

Not to mention that on each wall of Prambanan Temple, you can find beautiful reliefs that convey the Hindu epics that are very interesting to follow. Moreover, nowadays, there are often Ramayana dance performances on its vast temple grounds.

Historical Places in Indonesia are All Marvelous!

Visiting those historical places in Indonesia can make you feel as if you are going back in time using a time machine. There are many things that can make you amazed by the miracles of the past.

Moreover, you can definitely book some tickets to historical places in Indonesia through To Do tiket.com. Indeed, it’s more practical!

We also would like to remind all t-mates to wear your mask and follow the health protocol whenever you’re going outside. So, stay safe and stay healthy!

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