Museum sights in Pretoria
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Voortrekker Monument & Nature Reserve
A visit to the striking Voortrekker Monument is a near spiritual experience for many Afrikaners. It was constructed between 1938 and 1949 – a time of great Afrikaner nationalism – to honour the journey of the Voortrekkers, who trekked north over the coastal mountains of the Cape into the heart of the African veld. It pays tribute in particular to the Battle of Blood River on 16 December 1838, during which 470 Boers, under the command of Andries Pretorius, defeated approximately 12,000 Zulus, killing many of them.
A visit to the striking Voortrekker Monument is a near spiritual experience for many Afrikaners. It was constructed between 1938 and 1949 – a time of great A…
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Transvaal Museum
Opposite City Hall, this grand museum is a good place to go if you’re interested in natural history. Outside the building are the museum’s most impressive exhibits – giant replica skeletons of an enormous whale and a dinosaur. Inside you’ll find a series of fascinating exhibits including menacing reptile displays, the reconstructed jaws of a giant extinct shark, plenty of life-size mammal statues, and a rather creepy hall full of stuffed birds. The Insect Hall includes live displays of weed-eating grasshoppers and giant hissing cockroaches, and there’s a geological section with a collection of precious and semiprecious stones.
There’s plenty of interesting info …
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C
National Cultural History Museum
Concentrating on the cultural history of South Africa, the National Cultural History Museum is dedicated to preserving the country’s cultural heritage. It features exhibitions on San rock art, Iron Age figurines from Limpopo and a small gallery of contemporary South African works, among others. At the time of writing the museum was developing new exhibits, including an exhibition on Tshwane.
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Pretoria Art Museum
To get an idea of the cultural influences that have influenced modern South Africa, head to this art museum, which is just off Schoeman St and specialises in South African art from throughout the country’s history. It also features regularly changing exhibitions.
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