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Old photos of Surabaya

65 photographs of Surabaya, from 1865 to 2025 — each pinned to the exact place it was taken.

Have an old photo of Surabaya? A family album, a postcard, a print from the attic. Pin it to the map and it becomes part of the record.
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What the photos show

The 65 photographs of Surabaya on PlaceWas span 9 decades, from 1865 to 2025. 38 of them were taken before 1980; the other 27 are recent views of the same streets and landmarks.7 spots were photographed more than once, so you can compare the same street, square or building across the years.65 of the photos carry a written caption explaining what is in the frame. Every picture is pinned to the place it was taken, so the map below shows where the photographers stood.

Pick a decade to filter the photos below and the map above. Open full map ↗

Places in Surabaya through time

Spots photographed more than once — compare the same place across the years.

Street in Surabaya, Surabaya — photos through time
Street in Surabaya 22 photos · 1865–2025
EU: De Kali Mas (1876), Surabaya — photos through time
EU: De Kali Mas (1876) 15 photos · 1876
Gedung Algemeene, Surabaya — photos through time
Gedung Algemeene 5 photos · 1880–2025
Jembatan Merah Surabaya, Surabaya — photos through time
Jembatan Merah Surabaya 5 photos · 1910–2025
Gedung Cerutu, Surabaya — photos through time
Gedung Cerutu 2 photos · 2025
Jalan Kembang Jepun, Surabaya — photos through time
Jalan Kembang Jepun 2 photos · 2025
Gedung Siola, Surabaya — photos through time
Gedung Siola 2 photos · 2017–2025

Stories from Surabaya

What contributors wrote about these photographs.

EU: Willemskade en Kampong Baroe langs de Kali Mas te Soerabaja (1880), Surabaya, 1880
EU: Willemskade en Kampong Baroe langs de Kali Mas te Soerabaja (1880) 1880 Willemskade and the Kampong Baroe district line the Kali Mas river in Surabaya in this 1880 photograph, showing the waterway that served as the city's commercial artery and helped make Surabaya one of the busiest ports…
COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Karren rijden over de Roode Brug Soerabaja TMnr, Surabaya, 1910
COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Karren rijden over de Roode Brug Soerabaja TMnr 1910 Horse-drawn carts cross the Roode Brug in Surabaya in this 1910 photograph from the Tropenmuseum collection. The image captures ordinary street traffic passing over the bridge, offering a glimpse of daily commerce in the…
COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM De Roode Brug te Soerabaja TMnr, Surabaya, 1910
COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM De Roode Brug te Soerabaja TMnr 1910 This 1910 image from the Tropenmuseum collection shows the Roode Brug, or 'Red Bridge,' in Surabaya. The bridge crossed one of the city's canals at a time when Surabaya was a major trading port in the Dutch East Indies…
COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Poort bij de Ampel Moskee in de Arabische wijk van Soerabaja TMnr, Surabaya, 1927
COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Poort bij de Ampel Moskee in de Arabische wijk van Soerabaja TMnr 1927 A gateway near the Ampel Mosque in the Arab quarter of Surabaya, Indonesia, photographed in 1927 and held in the Tropenmuseum collection. The mosque, founded in the fifteenth century, remains a landmark of the historic…
Bank Indonesia Surabaya, Surabaya, 2008
Bank Indonesia Surabaya 2008 The Bank Indonesia building in Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city, is pictured in this 2008 photograph. The structure reflects the Dutch colonial-era architecture that still lines parts of the city's old…
Kantor Pos Besar Surabaya, Surabaya, 2021
Kantor Pos Besar Surabaya 2021 The Grand Post Office, or Kantor Pos Besar, in Surabaya, Indonesia, photographed in 2021. The building dates to the Dutch colonial period, when Surabaya was a major port and administrative center in the Dutch East…
Stasiun Surabaya Pasarturi, Surabaya, 2022
Stasiun Surabaya Pasarturi 2022 Pasar Turi railway station in Surabaya, one of the city's principal train terminals, photographed in 2022. The line through Surabaya has served East Java as a rail hub since the Dutch colonial period, though the terminal…
Bank Indonesia Museum, Surabaya (De Javasche Bank), Surabaya, 2025
Bank Indonesia Museum, Surabaya (De Javasche Bank) 2025 The Bank Indonesia Museum in Surabaya, housed in the former De Javasche Bank building from the Dutch colonial era; photographed in 2025, it preserves the history of the institution that served as the colony's central…
1860s · 1 photo
1870s · 15 photos
1880s · 16 photos
1900s · 1 photo
1910s · 3 photos
1920s · 2 photos
2000s · 5 photos
2010s · 5 photos
2020s · 17 photos · showing 12, all 17 on the map ↗