Cultural History
Mandela Rhodes Place is situated in the heart of the City’s 'cultural quarter' – flanked by iconic landmarks including the Mandela Rhodes Building, donated by De Beers to The Mandela Rhodes Foundation, St George’s Cathedral and the Company Gardens, established by Dutch settlers in 1652 as a means of supplying passing ships with fresh provisions.
With a colourful and diverse history stretching back centuries, your stay in the Mother City will be filled with endless cultural choices to educate, touch and inspire you.
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PARLIAMENT
Cape Town is the legislative capital of South Africa, and visitors are able to take a tour of the historic Houses of Parliament and even sit in on parliamentary sessions between January and June.
BERLIN WALL
In 1996, then President Nelson Mandela visited Berlin. In commemoration, the German government sent a chunk of the Berlin Wall as a gift to Mr Mandela and the people of SA. Today, this piece of history can be seen outside the Mandela Rhodes Foundation building.
IZIKO MUSEUM
The Iziko South African Museum, founded in 1825 and situated in the Company Gardens, is well worth a visit and takes care of more than 1.5-million items of cultural and scientific significance. The collection ranges from fossils and Stone Age tools to clothing and artefacts both old and modern.
DISTRICT SIX MUSEUM
The District Six Museum revives the history of a vibrant community that was forcibly removed to the city’s periphery during apartheid. The 170-year-old museum building contains a permanent multimedia exhibition called Digging Deeper, which includes narrated life histories of District Six residents.
HEART OF CAPE TOWN MUSEUM
Experience the drama of the world's first human heart transplant performed by Prof. Chris Barnard in 1967 in the fully restored operating theatres where the surgery took place. The museum is housed in the Old Building of the historic Groote Schuur hospital, still a pioneering medical facility.
NATIONAL ART GALLERY
Lying in the Company Gardens, opposite the South African Museum on Government Avenue, the South African National Gallery houses some of the most beautiful collections of South African, African, British, French, Dutch and Flemish art in South Africa.
COMPANY GARDENS
Established in 1652 as a fresh produce station, today the Company Gardens is a large public park and botanical garden set in the heart of Cape Town that is home to a rose garden, Japanese garden, fish pond and aviary as well as several museums and galleries.
CASTLE
The Castle of Good Hope is the oldest surviving building in South Africa, built between 1666 and 1679. Today the Castle houses the regional headquarters of the South African Army in the Western Cape, the famous William Fehr Collection of historic artworks and the Castle Military Museum.
