Taking photo from Bus Window in formerly "Dr. de Vogel-weg in Nieuw Tjandi" at Semarang City

I first though of the idea  when I was taking bus trip at Semarang City during a long holiday in the year of 2012. "Dr. de Vogel-weg" is the old name of currently known as S. Parman Street, an old name belong to Dutch Colonial Era. This street is situated up on the hill area at south side of Semarang City that commonly called as Candi Baru. Currently, this street is about 2 kilo meters stretching from William Booth Hospital at south-end side to "Taman Diponegoro" park location at north-end side.

Of course, we can find here remaining old houses from Dutch Colonial Era. Some of them remain existed as private houses and many of them also found and converted in new functions such as office, cafe, retail shops or even a hotel.

 One of the prominent remaining old houses from the past is the one that is situated at a cross-road near an old Dutch Cemetery site. It looks like an old empty house with large grass courtyards and lush old trees around. When the picture is taken, this old house is found in severed damaged condition.

An Old House in front of Centrale Burgerlijke Ziekeninrichting Semarang

When we pass through the main street in front of Semarang General Hospital (also known as Centrale Burgerlijke Ziekeninrichting or CBZ during Dutch Colonial Era), we can directly find an old house. This house is situated on a cliff in front of the Hospital. 

Just a simple old clay roofed house with particular detail on its facade. There is an interesting protruding multifaceted window module at upper floor level. I'm just imagining if I'm sitting on a lounge inside this protruding space, I will have great views to the Hospital building complex and an old neighborhood church nearby.

Main entry belong to this house is placed in a discreet location, it seem intentionally concealed against the main street and surrounded by lush trees. A Hill called as 'Gunung Sawo' is situated directly behind this house.I think we can follow a small road up the steep hill - in  front of the neighborhood church at streets intersection - to reach this house.

Centrale Burgerlijke Ziekeninrichting; an Old General Hospital in Semarang City

During my childhood, I was hearing that my grand father described this hospital building as "CBZ", just a simple and short acronym. Now, I know that "CBZ" is and acronym of "Centrale Burgerlijke Ziekeninrichting", a Dutch term which is related with the function this building as Central Hospital in Semarang City. History noted that CBZ is founded on 1925 by Dutch Colonial Authority.

This Hospital is situated at north-end side of Kalisari Street or formally known as Dr. Sutomo Street. Bergota cemetery hill - the largest cemetery area in Semarang City - is situated directly behind the hospital complex. The hospital complex is still growing and the development of new building blocks to increase wards capacity and other modern medical treatment facilities.

I think the remaining original CBZ building parts are well preserved, and could be obviously found at its main formal entry gate area. A block of building with clay roof within some copula towers on the roof tops are found around this entry gate building. Visually, it look like simple combination of some building with different shapes of box, cube and cylinder under clay roofs. The entry building block itself, originally is the highest among the others within its different shaped tallest round copula on its roof top.

Semarang City at "Zero Kilometer"

There is just a small black granite obelisk in the middle of a garden in the middle of the street in front of Semarang Central Post Office Building. If somebody stand at this 0 kilometer marker position and facing to the east direction, he or she can directly see the 'mBerok Bridge' as an entry to Semarang Old City Conservation Area. Meanwhile, when somebody facing the opposite side, he or she can see the former Javasche Bank Building.

There are official regional government logos are found to all four obelisk sides. And at the lower part we can find a text that mentions that this is "0 kilometer" marker of the city. Maybe not every citizen aware that 0 kilometer of their own is simply located here. Nowadays, this "zero kilometer" point is situated at east-end of Pemuda (Bodjong) Street, a main busy street in Semarang City, surrounding by main regional government buildings such as Central Post Office, Government Financial Office and Regional Government Bank Office.

Snapshots to "de Javasche Bank" Building

Based on historical notes, the building is already existed in the year of 1927 during Dutch Colonial Era. This is another building have designed by Thomas Karsten, a well-known Dutch Architect who designed many famous colonial buildings in Semarang City. Many years ago, Semarang citizen have recognized this building as Bank Indonesia, an Central Bank Institution owned by the Indonesian government. The building ever known also as government's archive building. Nowadays, this building is known as "Bank Jateng" Building, a regional Bank Institution owned by Central Java Government.

This building is situated at eat-end side of Bodjong Street (today is known as Pemuda Street) near Semarang Central Post Office Building. Building orientation is facing to the east where "mBerok Bridge" is situated nearby, and it makes the building looks more prominent from the direction of Old City Conservation Area.

The building itself is simply identified by the existence of its tower beside of main building block with its clay roof structure in triangular prism shape. Windows arrangement is simply generates vertical strip patterns on building facade. I think we can also see some other old buildings in Semarang are found in this similar style.

A Snapshot to an Old Warehouse at the 'Outstadt'

This just another simple snapshot to a simple building, an old warehouse which is located in Semarang Old City conservation Area. The building is facing to the south and directly situated in a T-intersection Street in front of the "Roode Driehoek" House. Six tall heavily wooden paneled doors with arch-topped details are visually dominant elements belong to this warehouse. Ventilation holes in star shape are details we can found in every doors. Decorative wrought iron brackets are found in between the tall doors. Decorative wooden roof fascia is simply enriched the facade belong to this warehouse. A shallow masonry pediment at the upper part of the facade is simply unifying all elements at lower part.

Snapshot to an old building at 'Zwaluwstraat'

This is just a simple snapshot to an old building at south-end side of Branjangan Street, a street inside Old City Conservation Area. It is situated in a T-intersection street in front of another old building I have described in my older blog post dated 3rd of May 2011. This building is also situated nearby another old building currently known as Telkom MSC Office Building, which is located in Letjen Soeprapto Street ( or known also  as Heerenstraat during Dutch Colonial Era). A historical source mentioned that this building originally known as Dunlop-Kolff-Makelaars, a trading company in related with sugar, rice, kapok, effects, etc.

It about less than a hundred meters from this building we can find another famous old building at Branjangan Street which is called "Roode Driehoek" House. Obviously, the remaining upper facade is becoming interesting part belong to this building. Curved pediment are combined with six vertical louvered windows at top facade. Lower facade is consisting of remaining wooden tall windows that are covered with light metal roofing with wrought iron brackets. Extended columns in simplified 'obelisk' shape are another elements that visually unify the lower and the upper part of the building facade