Grand Dudok-inspired city hall
- Kantor Gubernur Jawa Timur, Jl. Pahlawan No.110, Surabaya Kota
- Open for public during office hours
For the people
The Surabaya city hall was designed to impress. It was built in 1931 to replace the original city hall (gouverneurs kantoor) near the red bridge that had become too small for the administration of the quickly growing city of Surabaya.
Dudok-inspired
The design is heavily influenced by well-known Dutch architect Dudok and is virtually a copy of the town hall he designed for the city of Hilversum, an affluent town in the Netherlands. Designed by architect Wijnand Lemei, Gedung Gubernur is a great example of Netherland Indies architecture in the 1930s: a sober a-symmetric voluminous building with an open courtyard and high ceilings to allow for cross-ventilation.
Nice to know
- The original clock still functions and rings every hour
- This building deserves a page in the history books as the venue of the negotiation between General Hawthorn and the pro-Independence leaders from Surabaya.
- For years this building was off-limits to the public. Now that’s put to use once again, you’re free to go inside and have a wander in the beautiful courtyard.
Point Zero
Hidden in the corner of the parking area on the left side of the gate you can find a marker with S.BAYA 0. This is the Surabaya Kilometer Zero/Nil Kilometer point used by colonial administrators to measure the distance to other cities in Indonesia. The marker was made at the same time as the building, literally marking the beginning of the development of Surabaya City.