Sawahlunto - An old Mine City | Intimate Indonesia

A city corner of Sawahlunto

Sawahlunto a small town about 95 km from Padang, West Sumatra, on Dutch colonial periods until the mid of 70’s this city knew as a major coal-mining town in Sumatra. It was begun when a Dutch engineer WH. De Gereve discovered coal by the banks of the Ombilin River in 1868, followed first Coal producing in 1892 after thorough exploration (between 1870 and 1880) and the construction of a railway in Sawahlunto, Padang and Emma haven (Now: Teluk Bayur) port (between 1888 and 1891).

The glory days of Ombilin/Sawah Lunto started from 1930 when coal production reached more than 620.000 tons/year then continues until 1976, in 1976, Ombilin mine reached highest production at more than 1,2M tons/years.

As an important town by it economic contribution, especially when coal mining production still in material numbers, infrastructure construction there was so intense. The discovery of coal triggered infrastructure development programs in West Sumatra and opened Sawahlunto economy to the world.

A small town with complete infrastructure and its prosperous are the face of the past Sawahlunto. However, now Sawahlunto more seen as an old small town with his romantic memories, we can see the path of the past by its monuments and city landscape.

Orang Rantai (Chained Man)

Orang Rantai (Chained Man)

Sawahlunto has glory days regarding to the coal deposit, but between all glory and romantic there were also tragic humanity fact. There are no exact amount recorded, but during Dutch colonialism times reputedly hundreds peoples all them are prisoners noted as criminals gangs of Javanese, Madura, Makassar and Chinese forced to work as miner labor. The tragic thing is that their feet were chained 24 hours dragging with 5 to 10 kg iron balls, and was overseen by armed officers. Local people named them as Orang Rantai (Chained Man). Many tragic stories come along their effort for trying to fling off the mine hell. Many of them died on their effort to escaping the mine location. The pit where they worked, now known as Mbah Suro Gate (Lobang Mbah Suro) - Mbah Suro is name of a famous foreman come from East Java during that ‘darkest’ periods. Now, there is Orang Rantai Monument as reminiscence and tribute to all of them. This hell was inaugurated as a tourist spot since 2008.

Mbah Suro Gate

By the time, coal deposit on Ombilin River reduced by the year’s exploration activities, gradually coal production decrease. Now Sawahlunto is running not in the similar pulse as of four decades ago. Consequently, Sawahlunto has changed and is now introducing its vision and mission for 2020 through what it calls a coal-mining gallery. The gallery highlights Sawahlunto coal history as well as the infrastructure, economic, socio-cultural, and political development now underway in the region.

We can see middle century building architecture, old crutch, some romantic city corner, greenery paddy field on the border of the city, beside its main tourist object Mbah Suro Gate, a coal-mining hole that can bring you to past period of Sawahlunto.
When visiting this romantic old mine city, we will brought away to decades ago by its memorabilia. We can see the path of glory days, romantic small mining town, but we can also see the path of a very miserable life for some people as Orang Rantai during colonial periods.

In Sawahlunto, we can smell of greedy attitude with its pain impact named human exploitation. The smell is still there, even though the event already happened decades ago.