Ambarawa

Ambarawa
A view of Mount Merbabu, Telomoyo and Lake Rawapening from Ambarawa.
A view of Mount Merbabu, Telomoyo and Lake Rawapening from Ambarawa.
Nickname: 
Mbahrowo
Location within Semarang Regency
Location within Semarang Regency
Country Indonesia
ProvinceCentral Java
RegencySemarang Regency
Area
 • Total
29.79 km2 (11.50 sq mi)
Population
 (mid 2022 estimate)
 • Total
64,255
 • Density2,200/km2 (5,600/sq mi)
Demographics
 • Ethnic groupsJavanese
Chinese
Bataks
Time zoneUTC+7 (Indonesia Western Standard Time)
LanguagesIndonesian
Javanese

Ambarawa is a town (and administratively, a district of the Semarang Regency) located between the city of Semarang and Salatiga in Central Java, Indonesia. Administratively, it is bordered by the districts of Banyubiru to the south, Jambu to the west, Bandungan to the north, and Bawen to the east.

During colonial times, Ambarawa was an important railway hub connecting through regions in Java as far as Yogyakarta and Magelang. The Semarang-Ambarawa-Magelang line was fully operational until 1977. It is the site of the Indonesian Railway Museum (Museum Kereta Api Ambarawa), which features a section of rack railway between Ambarawa to Bedono on the former Ambarawa-Magelang mainline. The 19th-century Fort Willem I penitentiary complex and military barrack is also located in Ambarawa.

Fort Willem I