The Old Town of Semarang is an area in Semarang where became the center of commerce in the 19-20th century. In those days, to secure the people and the territory, the area was built fortress, which is named after Vijhoek fortress. To speed up the connecting route between the three gates of the fortified gates were made connecting roads, with the main road named Heeren Straat. Currently named Jl. Let Jen Soeprapto. One of the locations of the existing fortresses to this day is the Berok Bridge, called De Zuider Por.
The Old Town area of Semarang is also called Outstadt. The area is about 31 hectares. Seen from geographical conditions, it appears that this area is separated from the surrounding area, making it look like a city of its own, thus earning the nickname "Little Netherland". The Old Town area of Semarang is a silent witness of Indonesian history of the Dutch colonial period over 2 centuries, and its location adjacent to the economic area. In this place there are about 50 ancient buildings that still stand strongly and have a history of Colonialism in Semarang.
In general the character of buildings in this region follows the buildings on the European continent around the 1700s. This can be seen from the typical building details and ornaments that are identical to the European style. Like the size of the doors and windows are enormous, the use of colored glass, the shape of a unique roof, until the basement. Like other cities under Dutch colonial rule, fortifications were built as military centers. This fort is a rectangular shape and was first built on the west side of the old city of Semarang today. The fort has only one gate on its south side and five watchtowers. Each tower is named Zeeland, Amsterdam, Utrecht, Raamsdonk and Bunschoten. The Dutch government moved the Chinese settlements in 1731 near the Dutch settlement, to facilitate control over all activities of the Chinese. Therefore, the Citadel is not only a military center, but also as a watch tower for all activities of Chinese activities.
