Built in 1862 in Old Surabya this Dutch colonial type compound is a well conserved ancient historical site. This building was formerly used as an orphanage, however was bought in 1932 by the founder of Samporena, Liem Seeng Tee, with the intention of forming the city’s first cigarette making facility.
The premise has a rather impressive auditorium and two smaller buildings on the east and the west along with other open space structures scattered around the main auditorium. The building on the west still remains the original family residence and the one on the east has been beautifully converted in to an art gallery and a café. The warehouses is used for the production of cigarettes which involved tobacco and clove processing, blending, rolling and packaging of the product. It still produces a fair share of Indonesia’s most celebrated cigarette the’ Dji Sam Soe’.
On the 90th anniversary of Sampoerna the central complex was carefully restored and opened to the public. This museum offers a unique experience to its visitors, where one could experience firsthand the hand roll production of these cigarettes themselves and learn of the founding family and their journey to success. More than 325 sticks are produced by the 3500 women in the plant using traditional equipment. Visitors are able to purchase, from a beautiful range of souvenirs that is available at the Museum’s shop including packets of cloves, memorabilia and miniature traditional cigarettes rolling equipment.
Indonesia is an oasis of natural beauty, interesting culture and craft. While you explore the amazing city of Surabaya , residing at a Surabaya hotel located in the heart of the city would be advantageous as this will put you within easy reach of many of the must see attractions. Somerset Surabaya Hotel and Serviced Residence is an apartment Surabaya favoured among many travelling on business or leisure. For the convenience of its guests the premise also has within it a spa, a fully equipped gymnasium and restaurants that serve mouth watering cuisine. If you are on the lookout for star class luxuries, state of the art amenities and a completely relaxing atmosphere at a reasonable price, these apartments are the perfect choice.
Pushpitha Wijesinghe is an experienced independent freelance writer. He specializes in providing a wide variety of content and articles related to the travel hospitality industry.