Lawang Sewu, the Thousand Doors
A colonial railway headquarters in Java with so many doors that it's called the Thousand Doors is said to be one of the most uncanny buildings in Indonesia.
What was reported
Lawang Sewu was built in Semarang between 1904 and 1919 as the headquarters of the Dutch East Indies railway company. Its name means 'thousand doors' in Javanese, for its countless doors and tall windows.
During the Second World War, the occupying Japanese army used its basement as a prison. Since then it has gathered stories: a Dutch woman in white, figures in the corridors, and a basement that people say they feel watched in. It's often called Indonesia's most haunted building.
Explanations offered
The stories grew while the building stood neglected after independence, and from its wartime history. It was restored in 2011 and is now a museum of Indonesia's railways, with night tours.
- When
- Built 1904–1919
- Where
- Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia
- Witnesses
- Visitors and staff
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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