Museums / Historical Interest, Cape Town

The SA National gallery, although the exhibits are fairly interesting, is extremely small (no more than 5 exhibit rooms). The Museum is free on Sundays and the building itself is quite impressive. I would skip this except as a brief stop on Sunday.

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The Castle, was Built between 1665 and 1676 by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) to replace an earthen fort constructed by Jan van Riebeeck in 1652, it's the oldest building in the country. Its pentagonal plan, with a diamond-shape bastion at each corner, is typical of the Old Netherlands defense system adopted in the early 17th century.in the shape of a five - pointed star, with walls of stone and earth more than 10 metres high.

Five bastions were built, one at each point of the star,and named after the titles of the Prince of Orange, the Dutch ruler at the time of the settlement i.e Buren, Leerdam, Oranje, Nassau and Catzenellenbogen.

As added protection, the whole fortification was surrounded by a moat, and the sea nearly washed up against its walls. The castle served as both the VOC headquarters and the official governor's residence, and still houses the regional headquarters of the National Defence Force. Despite its bellicose origins, no shot has ever been fired from its ramparts, except ceremonially.

You can wander around on your own or join one of the guided tours at no extra cost. Also worth seeing is the excellent William Fehr Collection. Housed in the governor's residence, it consists of antiques, artifacts, and paintings of early Cape Town and South African history. Conservationists should go upstairs to see John Thomas Baine's The Greatest Hunt in Africa, celebrating a "hunt" in honor of Prince Alfred, when nearly 30,000 animals were driven together and slaughtered.

Dungeons were built below sea level.No attack has ever been launched against the Castle.

Today the Castle is the headquarters of the Western Cape Military Command.It also houses a military and a maritime museum which may be viewed.
Cost: R25 for adults and R10 children & students
Open: Weekdays 9-3:30, Sat. 9-1; tours at 11, noon, and 2

The ammo was stored here, but the water came through the walls and contaminated it rendering it useless. They then decided to digg a hole in the floor, but due to all the underground water, it pushed water up into the storage cell instead of draining it away.

Before someone could be executed, they had to confess to their sin. First off was the torture chamber where they had three methods of torture after which they were taken to the black cell for 24 hours. If they did not confess, they were sent to Robben Eiland to serve their sentence there.

The pool was built by Willem van der Stel, but during the british reign, they filled it with sand and used the area as a parade ground. Lady Anne Barnard made schetches of the pool and it was used to re-instate the pool again. The only thing that remains from the original pool is the steps leading into the water.

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The gateway – built in 1682 – replaced the old entrance, which faced the sea. The pediment bears the coat of arms of the United Netherlands, portraying the crowned lion rampant holding the seven arrows of unity in its paw. Carved on the architrave below are the arms of Van Hoorn, Delft , Amsterdam, Middelburg, Rotterdam and Enkhuizen—all Dutch cities in which the United East India Company had chambers. Two VOC (Vereenighde Oost-Indische Compagnie) monograms flank the carvings.

The two pilasters, entablature and pediment above are built of grey-blue stone, while the entrance is made of small yellow bricks called ijselstene, making it a unique example of 17th century Dutch classicism at the Cape .

Sections of the moat, which previously formed part of the defence system of the Castle, were rebuilt in 1992 during restorations.

The Castle of Good Hope would be referred to as 'Kui keip'(Stone Kraal) by the Khoina.

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Built between 1666 and 1679 by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) as a maritime replenishment station, the Castle of Good Hope is the oldest surviving colonial building in South Africa.

From 1678 it was the centre of civilian, administrative and military life at the Cape, until the settlement grew and some functions and activities moved away from the Castle. Today the Castle is the seat of the military in the Cape, and houses the Castle Military Museum and Iziko Museums of Cape Town (William Fehr Collection).

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This colorful old neighborhood , situated near the city centre, was once the home to the Malay community in Cape Town. It is now called "Bo Kaap", and has undergone a restoration.It is considered to be one of the 'in' places to live in Cape Town. The houses are colorful, the streets and lanes are still cobbled, and there are mosques and cafes with outdoor seating. It has immense charm, and a stroll through this area is a great way to spend a few hours.There are good restuarants and coffee shops in the area.