Johannesburg is the largest, most vibrant City in Southern Africa.
Modern JHB was founded in 1886 after the discovery of gold in deep conglomerate rocks.
The City boasts many protected buildings such as The Guildhall Pub, the Rand club, The Standard Bank, Commissioner Street, Barbican Building, and The Public Library built in a classical style.
The Rissik Street Post Office has been vandalised a few times but due to efforts of The Heritage Foundation there are restoration efforts in place. The Barbican, first true high rise of the city with her majestic columns, is revamped and ready for occupation. The Guildhall, considered the oldest pub in Johannesburg stands firmly opposite The City Hall in Market Street
A walk up Main Street from the Magistrate’s court to Ghandi Square will reveal the City to you through the eyes of a native Joburger.
Joburg has many hidden gems, locations & museums. Let’s plan & see what you have time for.
Itinerary:
Constitutional Hill & Tour of the Constitutional Court
• The Constitution Court was built on the premises of the Old Fort and the notorious no.4 Black male prison.
• Important historical figures that have been incarcerated at The Old Fort Prison. Women’s jail imprisoned activist females like Winnie Mandela, Fatima Meer & many others.
Apartheid Museum
• The Apartheid Museum documents the dark days of South Africa. Apartheid effects, like spatial planning & deep segregation are still evident in current SA. Re-live our painful past through various vast exhibitions & video footage.
• The museum is quite expansive & visitors could easily spend 5 hours here.
The Origins Centre
Follow a path of hominin innovation that began over 2 million years ago. The museum delves into the fascinating beliefs of the San.
• Opened by President Thabo Mbeki in 2006, the Origins Centre is dedicated to exploring and celebrating the history of modern humankind.
• It contains evidence of ancient stone tools, artefacts of symbolic and spiritual significance, and examples of the region’s visually striking rock art. It also captures the impact of the colonial front and highlights examples of resistance.
• The Origins Centre boasts an extensive collection of rock art from the Rock Art Research Institute (RARI) at Wits, affording visitors the opportunity to view some of the richest visual heritage found in South Africa and to learn about its history and meaning.
Satyagraha House
Satyagraha House was built in 1907 in the Orchards neighbourhood , on the outskirts of Johannesburg, houses the exceptional story of two men. First, Hermann Kallenbach, a German-born Jewish architect, who, inspired by the Kraal : the African farm, built this house characterised by two rondavels, circular rooms resembling native huts. His encounter a few years earlier with a young and talented Indian lawyer, Mohandas Gandhi, will be life-changing for the place.
The future Mahatma , who was concerned about social justice at a very early age was hosted by his friend in 1908. He will spend more than twenty years in South Africa.
“Truth implies love, and firmness engenders force. I thus began to call the Indian movement Satyagraha; that is to say, the force that is born of truth and love or non-violence.
Satyagraha is soul-force pure and simple.” Mahatma Ghandi
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