Museums in Cape Town

Hundreds of years ago, the first Dutch settlers put down their roots in a tiny victual station on the tip of Africa that supplied fresh produce - and oft times reluctant sailors - to the fleets of ships plying their trade between Europe and India. This rich tapestry of life and cultures from a bygone era is reflected in the museums in Cape Town.

Over the ages, Cape Town has been populated by the colonial masters, both Dutch and English - immigrant workers from Malaysia and Indonesia, slaves from all over Africa who were torn from the fabric of their societies and the indigenous Khoi people who scoured the area for shellfish and other edibles.

All of these diverse communities form part of the tale of Cape Town and all of them have found a place in our rich history. There are a number of museums dedicated to this inordinate wealth of people and their traditions, but to get the most out of your experience it would be wise to rent a car if you are just visiting as some of them are a little difficult to access.

The Castle of Good Hope

The oldest building in South Africa is the Castle of Good Hope, which used to guard the beaches of Table Bay. Land reclamation carried out decades ago all along the foreshore has changed the Castles position to a back-row vantage point, but the building still maintains its military magnificence. There is plenty of parking around the Castle, so car hire is the most effective mode of transport if youre a visitor to our city.

In the mid 1600s, rumours were rife of an impending attack by the British and in an effort to quell panic a sturdy 5-pointed fortification was erected in place of its wooden counterpart. The five bastions were typically named after the ruling monarch of the day, who happened to be Willem, the Prince of Orange, while Leerdam, Buuren, Catzenellenbogen, Nassau and Oranje were all his primary titles.

Today, the Castle has been carefully restored to its former glory and is home to the Capes Military Museum. The Cape Dutch architecture alone is well worth the visit but the Kat Balcony, the William Fehr art collection and the demeaning dungeons will delight.

The South African Museum - and friends

The South African Museum of Natural History is one of the focal points of a dedicated area in Queen Victoria Street in the city. The other main players are the South African National Gallery, which showcases local art, and the dome-roofed Planetarium that tells the tales of the stars with incredible effects.

The natural history museum was established by Lord Somerset, an erstwhile Governor of the Cape colony, way back in 1825 and is the second oldest scientific institute in the country after the Royal Observatory, built in 1820.

This museum boasts an extensive collection of scientific specimens (estimated to be in the region of 1.5 million) and for virtually 200 years scientists have been battling to unravel the mysteries surrounding these remarkable natural samples.

Museums in multiples

Other museums in Cape Town worth a visit include:

• The Bo-Kaap Museum
• The Koopmans-De Wet House
• The District Six Museum
• The Slave Lodge
• The Heart of Cape Town Museum - in honour of Chris Barnard and his team who performed the world's 1st heart transplant