House of Sampoerna, Tobacco museum in Surabaya, Indonesia
The House of Sampoerna is a tobacco museum and Sampoerna headquarters in Surabaya, housed in a Dutch colonial compound built in 1862. The complex has a large central auditorium, two smaller buildings on the east and west sides, and large single-story open structures behind the auditorium. The central auditorium now holds the museum and a shop; the east building contains a café and art gallery, while the west building remains the family residence.
The building was erected in 1862 as an orphanage and bought by Liem Seeng Tee in 1932, who turned it into a cigarette production site. The family business that started there grew into one of the best-known tobacco companies in Indonesia.
The museum's name comes from Liem Seeng Tee's company, founded in 1913; the site opened to the public in 2003 for Sampoerna's 90th anniversary. Displays trace the founder's life and the firm's growth, with old production tools, a 1941 Packard 300 V8 and a 1989–1992 marching band collection. Visitors can watch traditional hand-rolling of kretek cigarettes and try it themselves.
The museum has been closed since the COVID-19 pandemic, so check locally before planning a visit. The complex stands at Taman Sampoerna No. 6 in Krembangan Utara, Pabean Cantian, and the Surabaya Heritage Track bus departs from here for tours of Old Surabaya.
A 1972 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow that once belonged to the founding family is on display inside the museum. It sits in direct contrast to the simple hand tools used a few steps away in the cigarette workshops.
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