Pretoria - Part 6

Another of our landmarks is the Voortrekker (Pioneer) Monument. It is set on a hill and can be seen for miles away.

It was erected to commemorate the centenary of the Great Trek when Dutch and German pioneers from the Cape of Good Hope travelled by ox-wagon to the northern parts of South Africa.

A series of maps at the museum charts the most important migratory patterns in the history of Southern Africa. The focus is on the lifestyles of the Voortrekkers, as well as life after the Great Trek (1835-1852).
It was built between 1937 and 1949.

The inner walls are decorated with stone wagons.

This is an actual wagon from that historic time.

This is a replica of a Zulu beehive hut. Their Chief, King Dingaan reined between 1828-1840. These huts are constructed by the men of the clan.

The frame is made of sapling poles placed in a circle and bent inward, then lashed together. After the frame is complete, it is thatched with grass. The floor is made of a mixture of anthill clay and cow dung. Once dry, it is covered with cattle fat.

Pretoria - Part 5

No matter how much I have traveled and enjoyed it, when I come back fom the airport and see this sight, I know I am home again. The building on the right is part of our very large university and the other buildings are the centre of town.
These are the administrative building for the University and also house a wonderful hall in which they have symphony concerts.

Another view of it.....

These are some of the 4 campus buildings

On the hill where I was taking these pictures, you can see a large portion of the town and some of the small hills it is bult on. For most of the year it is lush and green with our climate being similar to that of Florida.

In the distance, on another hill is the Union Buildings I feature last week in Part 1 and Part 2.

Pretoria - Part 4

The City Hall was built to celebrate Pretoria's city status, obtained in 1931. Marthinus Pretorius established Pretoria in 1855 and named it in honour of his father.

The two statues in front of the building depict the Voortrekker (Pioneer) leaders, Marthinus Pretorius and his father Andries.

The walks are lined with various rose bushes........

and the pond in front of it is full of water lilies.

Across the road is the Transvaal Museum which I featured a while back and has a wonderful Rocks and Minerals Section. The pigeon was very interest in having his picture taken too.

Pretoria - Part 3

Pretoria is a very pretty town. This is an average suburban street.
We have two small hills running through it and some of the houses are built on them.

The sculptor Anton van Wouw's statue of Paul Kruger occupies the centre stage on Church Square. While the bronze figures of Kruger and the sentries were cast in Italy at the turn of the century, it was only in1954 that they were installed in their rightful place.

The Palace of Justice forms part of the Northern Façade of Church Square. Dating from the end of the 19th century, it was designed in the typical Italian Renaissance style, by Dutch architect Sytze Wierda. It is the headquarters of the Gauteng Provincial Division of the Supreme Court.

The Ou Raadsaal (Old Government Building) on the southern side of the square as designed by Dutch architect Sytze Wierda and erected by JJ Kirkness, a Scotsman from the Orkney Isles in 1887.