Siola is the name of a building in Surabaya, located on Tunjungan Street. You can get here from Tunjungan City because both are situated very close to each other. This is a heritage of the colonial era, so it is by no means a new building. It has been around for decades, first built in 1877. It has been used by different people and for different purposes. At that time, the building was occupied by Whiteaway Laidlaw & Co.
This company wax owned by a British named Robert Laidlaw. The store sold different kinds of clothing. This was very popular in its heyday and regarded as one of the biggest stores across the Dutch East Indies. Let’s talk about the Siola Building today. On May 3rd, Tri Rismaharini as Mayor of Surabaya inaugurated the grand opening of the Surabaya Museum. It is located right inside the building.
Image source: Foursquare
If you want to know what the museum looks like, just come here to see it in person. It does not take admission to enter the building. It is open to the public from 09:00 to 21:00. This building is no longer a store like it was back then because the owner died in 1935. Once he passed away, the company was closed and the production was discontinued. This historic building witnessed the struggle of the people of Surabaya.
It was converted into a headquarters for the fight against the colonialists and their allies. Just look at the picture to know the physical appearance. You may find a hard time to recognize it because you will not spot a nameplate on it. It had one back in the day. There was a signboard with “Het Engelsche Warenhuis” written all over it. It has been renamed for a few times. There was a time when the building was named the Chiyoda Store, but it was burned down during the battle. It has been restored for numerous times. The last time the building was called Ramayana Siola, but it is no longer here.
