Pretoria

Union Buildings
Churche Square
Paul Kruger House
Melrose House
Voortrekker Monument
Botanical Garden (Eastern Pretoria)

accommodation, activities...

Tourism offers
map 5/4. Gauteng
A. At the Zoo GH
B. B&B at Ted's Place
C. Cotswold Gardens GH

map 5 all offers

Pretoria or Tshwane (new name for the metropolitan area of Pretoria) is also known as Jacaranda City. About 60.000 Jacaranda trees are flowering there in October. Nowadays the Jacaranda which is not endemic to South Africa rates amongst the invader plants and some people would like to eradicate them.
One of the most famous sights of Pretoria is Kruger House in Church Street. Kruger House once was the residence of president Paul Kruger. Today it is an interesting museum with nice furniture of the 19^th century. It gives you an insight into the life and work of the former president. Further down in this street is Hero’s Acre, a graveyard where many important people of the old South Africa have been buried.
Just a few blocks up Church Street is Church Square, the place where the first church in Pretoria was erected. In the centre of the square is the statue of Paul Kruger surrounded by a fine collection of historical buildings (banks, the old City Hall, theatre,…)
The Union Buildings are situated on a hill named Meintjieskop. The parliamentary buildings are known as Sir Herbert Baker’s masterpiece. From here you can enjoy lovely views into the city and its surrounding hills. You should not miss to walk down the wonderful gardens towards Church Street. If you travel from Union Buildings further East on Government Lane you’ll pass the old diplomatic district of Pretoria. The president has a residence here as well.
Outside Pretoria the Voortrekker Monument is another famous attraction. Inside and outside the monument the “white” history of South Africa is shown. From the monument you also get lovely views of Pretoria and the Magaliesberg mountain range (mountain range North of Pretoria, North of Magaliesberg starts the typical savannah woodlands).

Unisa
The University of Good Hope started in Cape Town in 1873. It was renamed in University of South Africa (Unisa) in 1919. Today it is the biggest university in the world offering learning by correspondence. It’s famous with students from all over the world.

A little bit of history
Pretoria was founded by the descendants of the Voortrekkers in 1855. It soon became the capital of the old Transvaal province and later of the republic of South Africa (today there are two capitals: Cape Town and Pretoria). Pretoria boasts some fine historical buildings.