A School and Academy Building, Formerly Known as "van de Venter School"

Actually, in Semarang City we can find many old remaining school buildings. Many of them still run their original functions as education facilities. Commonly, their sites are spacious and well planned as part of old Dutch Colonial city planning. This is one of them, currently know as "Kartini-Social Wellfare School & Academy". The building is situated at Sultan Agung Street. According to the school and academy website, their property is already and officially listed as a preserved heritage building.

As typically find in some old remaining school building in Semarang, the building complex is situated in a large open area within some main building blocks are spreading-out and connected with long open corridors. A big banyan tree, prominently appears in the middle of the school yard.

According to reliable historical notes, this school building is designed in the year of 1923 and become integrated part of the development of new hill city of Semarang, or famously known as "Nieuw Tjandi". 

Pasar Peterongan Revisited:"Where an Old Tree Became a New Landmark"

This picture is captured during my last trip in Semarang City. I was shopping around the nearby shops, when I suddenly caught by surprised by the appearance of an old big tree that obviously found in the new front court yard of the market place. For many years, the existence of this old tree is hidden behind a block of building. After renovation is done, the tree is released from surrounding clutters. The new market place entrance is now situated behind the line where the old tree is originally placed. All of these arrangements create a relieving front court yard with proper size of space for visitors to have orientation before they come inside the market place.

The original appearance of market place shelters, is now also visually exposed after many years are covered and hidden behind many additional buildings. Old picture in associated with this area could be seen in my old blog post I have posted five years ago. This lost old tree is now have reborn again as prominent feature, as a green entrance landmark for an old remaining traditional market place in Semarang City, and maybe give a link to the sory of the past. Its wide spreading canopy not only shade the entrance yard during hot days, but it also become a nice meeting point for the market visitors.