Indonesian independence had its birth in Surabaya, called the "City of Heroes" where patriots sparked the historic Battle of Surabaya and the Indonesian National Revolution that opened the country's doors to freedom. Today, Surabaya in East Java might be Indonesia's second-largest city and one of the largest metropolitan cities in Southeast Asia.
As one of Indonesia's highly urbanized and most populous cities, however, Surabaya is a melting pot of a myriad of ethnicities and student cultures. The city boasts of a synagogue, the only one in Indonesia; Cheng Ho Mosque, the first mosque in the country built in Chinese-style architecture; and Bonbin Surabaya, one of Southeast Asia's largest and most famous zoos, which is incidentally the first in the world to successfully breed orangutans in captivity. The city is also a good base to book tours to Mount Bromo and Bali.
Colonial houses and landmarks like Gradahi and House of Sampoerna dot Surabaya, which literally means "shark and crocodile" in Bahasa. Gradahi is the residence of East Java's governor where traditional Reog dances can be watched at the Balai Permuda hall. A big art and cultural event in Surabaya, the Festival Seni Surabaya is held in Balai Permuda every June. The House of Sampoerna is a Dutch-style complex of a museum, an art gallery and several souvenir shops. The House's main attraction is its hundreds of female workers speedily hand-rolling one of Indonesia's most popular cigarettes.
As the home to one of Indonesia's two navies, the Eastern Armada, Surabaya's strong maritime heritage is forged in its Monkasel or Submarine Monument, an old Russian submarine called Pasopati, which has been converted into a museum. Jales Veva Jaya Mahe monument is a large, admiral-like statue that commemorates the heroism of the Indonesian Navy, while the Heroic Monument recognizes those who fought for Indonesia's independence in Surabaya.
A large collection of ancient Javanese artifacts are in Mpu Tantular Museum while Ciputra Waterpark has a collection of different pools for weekenders. G-Walk, west of Surabaya, is a haven of food stalls and night bazaars where crowds feast on both familiar and exotic food like rujak cingur (salad with sauce), cingur (cow nose), and sate kelopo (satay or barbecue with coconut strips).
Surabaya also houses some of Southeast Asia's largest shopping malls. May to June is the best bargain season in the city, when most of the sellers cut their prices by half. Pasar Ampel, a large Arab market, sells carpets together with other assortments. At the end of the market is a mosque where the remains of one of Java's Muslim saints, Sunan Ampel, can be found.