Hole Mine Site Museum Mbah Suro & Infobox
About This Museum
What truly sets this place apart isn't just that it's a museum, but that you're walking directly into the belly of Sawahlunto's coal-mining history. This was the Ombilin Mine, a network of tunnels dug by hand, and the story here is etched into the very rock walls. It’s a raw, atmospheric journey underground where you can almost hear the echoes of the past. They call it Mbah Suro's Hole for a reason—it feels like stepping into the domain of the legendary foreman himself.
Collection Highlights
You'll see the cramped, damp tunnels where 'chain gangs' of forced laborers, known as orang rantai, spent their days. The collection isn't vast, but it's powerful: old picks, rusty coal carts still on their tracks, and photographs of soot-covered faces that tell a more profound story than any textbook could.
Visitor Information
Be ready to feel the chill and dampness down there, so watch your step on the uneven ground. It’s best to go with one of the guides; they share stories you'd never get from just reading a plaque. You'll come back up into the sunlight with a whole new understanding of this city's tough beginnings.
Architecture & Building
The entrance is through a modest infobox building at street level, but the real experience is descending into the authentic, preserved coal mine tunnel—rough-hewn and shored up with timber, just as it was over a century ago.
Contact & Location
Address: Universitas Putra Indonesia, Jalan Belakang Upi, Parak Gadang Timur, Padang, Sumatera Barat, Sumatera, 25155, Indonesia
Phone: +62 754 61985
