Monuments to visit Cape Town

The Slave Lodge is one of the oldest buildings in the city. Built in 1679, it housed over 9,000 slaves brought by the Dutch East India Company to serve as labour for the colony. From 1810 onwards, the building was converted to serve as a government office and later as the Supreme Court. It was first restored in 1960 to become the Museum of Cultural History and renamed Slave Lodge in 1998. Today, the collective memory attempts to highlight the heritage of slaves in Cape Town, a heritage that has long been obscured in the country's history. The focus is on the roots and ancestry of the Cape's mixed-race people. The route of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) slaves from Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Madagascar and Mozambique is compared to the transatlantic route to the plantations in America. In an alcove, on an interactive light column, inside rotating rings, are inscribed names given to the slaves by their owners: Welcome, Fortune, September, Titus, Cupid, Solomon or Moses... For generations, these slaves, once they arrived at the Slave Lodge, were sold like ordinary goods under a fig tree located at the back of the building, now on Spin Street. Finally, a multimedia room immerses the visitor in this dark and oppressive world. To better understand their daily life, go to Groot Constantia, an agricultural estate where they were largely exploited. The temporary exhibitions are interesting.

In the town of Franschoek, a monument in memory of the Huguenots, Protestants of French origin who immigrated to South Africa in the 17th century, was inaugurated in 1948. The work of sculptor Coert Steynberg depicts a female figure, carrying the Bible in her right hand and a broken chain in her left hand, which then represents freedom. A boat sails towards the tip of Africa and we see, gathered around the Book, the wheel of industry, the lyre of the arts, the grain and grapes of agriculture. As for the three arches, they symbolize the Trinity.

The sculptor Jan van Wijk would have liked to represent here the contribution of Europeans, Africans and Malays to the development of the Afrikaans language, which Afrikaners have long "brandished like a club against their enemies", in the words of the writer Coetzee. You should know that the highest column is supposed to represent Afrikaans, then next to it, the Republic, the terrace being Africa and the column on the left, the West. Come and get an idea on the spot, in front of this monument which seems to be a curious political vestige. But the view is superb..

Built between 1755 and 1761 in the Cape Rococo style, the house housed the Senate, the Magistrates' Court and the police. The silver trowel used to lay the foundation stone can be seen in the museum! The Old Town House was converted into the Town Hall until it was moved to the new City Hall in 1905. It now houses a collection from the golden age of Dutch painting, from the 16th to the 17th century. In its tree-lined courtyard, there is a pleasant tea room.

This graceful building, built in 1777, is today considered to be one of the most complete examples of an 18th century bourgeois house, and is one of the few buildings from this period in the city. This is evidenced by the rococo sculptures above the doorway by the German Anton Anreith. In the past, this building was the tax centre of the VOC. Today it houses the William Fehr Collection, a South African businessman and art collector, part of which is also on display in the Castle of Good Hope.

Built in 1853, it is the oldest house in the town and has been home to the Montagu Museum for over forty-five years. In the Joubert House, one can see the memories of the family of General Joubert, hero of the Boer story, descendant of the Provençal Huguenot Pierre Joubert, as well as a very original collection of medicinal plants. This is the moment to bring all the traditional preparations of the Hottentots out of oblivion. A nice jump into history, but also the opportunity to discover the beautiful temporary exhibitions which change very regularly.

In 1708, Governor Willem Adriaan van der Stel was recalled to Holland by the Company. He didn't enjoy his "Versailles" in South Africa for very long, a residence that is now a listed monument. Vergelegen is now owned by the Anglo-American company, which has decided to revive wine production while maintaining fruit production. Taste the sublime Vergeleguen red and white blends. The octagonal garden is unique in South Africa, with its wine storehouse twisted ten meters off the ground at the top of the hill. Never seen before!