Kuching Air Raid Shelters are located just beside the centre of Kuching City, specifically on a hill slope beside Park Lane.
It is likely you will notice the signboard when you use the road, but it is also very likely you will not bother stopping to get a closer view of what the Air Raid Shelters look like.
What to expect
For many, the shelters look like small concrete structures which aren’t significant to Kuching. The faded paint as well as the unmaintained concrete floors and walls only adds to prove how insignificant these shelters have become over the years.
That however couldn’t be far from the truth as these shelters were actually very important during the World Ward 2.
I counted at least five shelters which can be seen, but didn’t go into any particular one because the ones I did check out were damp, wet and smelly.
However, I was equally intrigued to know more about how these shelters were used as a method to protect a group of people from aircraft bombing during the World War 2.
Today, the shelters still aren’t visible from the air, but the depth of each shelter seems rather shallow to protect one from a bomb. Nonetheless, judging from the ‘perfect’ remnants of the shelters, perhaps they worked like a charm back then.
In fact, in terms of size, these shelters are actually quite large in size with several chambers connected to each other by corridors.
These chambers have individual windows which provide ventilation, and narrow roads bring one into each chamber.
I was made to understand that these Kuching air raid shelters they were built by Europeans working in Kuching to take shelter during bombings by the Japanese planes.
Photos below will give you an idea of what you can expect when visiting the shelter.
Where is Kuching Air Raid Shelters
Not everyone knows Park Lane, so if you aren’t aware of Park lane (Lorong Park), the map below will guide you to the Air Raid Shelters.
If you are staying in Kuching City Centre Hotels, you can easily walk here.
There is no ticketing booth, entrance fee, or fence to access the area or the shelters, but I would advice visiting this place during the day as it is not well lit at night.
Conclusion
I think this is one of Kuching’s underrated historical landmarks.
I personally feel that more could be done to make this Air Raid Shelters worth visiting, like keeping it dry and clean while perhaps putting up more signboard to explain its history and also facts.
Regardless, it is still something worth to take a look as it is part of Kuching’s wartime history which deserves to be noticed.
It’s however likely you won’t spend more than ten minutes here since there’s nothing much to do at the site than check it out and take photos, but still, it’s something good to check out to know how people hid from bombings by the Japanese planes in the 1940s.
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