Pretoria South AfricaPretoria lies in a series of valleys between rows of stony hills. It is also known as
the Jacaranda City because of the colorful flowering trees that line the city's
streets toward the end of summer every year. Once the capital of the Transvaal
Boer Republic, Pretoria has retained its administrative role and today hosts
the head offices of all central government departments.
Although predominantly a rugby city thanks to African influence, the acclaimed Loftus
Versveld Rugby Stadium was given a makeover for the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup
and is now a multi-sport stadium with state-of-the-art scoreboard, floodlights,
and audio-visual systems.
There is much to see and do in the Jacaranda City:
Kruger House Museum
Kruger House Museum was the unpretentious Victorian style home of President
Paul Kruger of the Transvaal Republic and the place where the people could call
on him to discuss issues or perhaps just share a cup of coffee. As such, it is
a remarkable echo back to easier, simpler times.
Voortrekker MonumentVoortrekker Monument
The monolithic Voortrekker Monument standing on a hill just outside
Pretoria is the archetypal monument to African identity and history. It was
originally erected as a memorial to the African pioneers who opened up the
hinterland in defiance of colonial oppression, but these days is more a symbol
of the oppression they put on others who competed with them for the land.
Pretoria National Botanical Garden
The Pretoria National Botanical Garden is home to the
South African National Botanical Institute and offers opportunities either for
research or for relaxation in a seemingly never-ending natural paradise of
plants and birds.
National Zoological Gardens
The National Zoological Gardens in the center of the city is
not only the largest zoo in
South Africa, but is also rated as one of the top
zoos in the world. It hosts over three thousand animals and birds in natural
surroundings, a spectacular inland marine aquarium, and attracts over six
hundred thousand visitors a year.
Tswaing Meteorite Crater
The Tswaing Meteorite Crater forty kilometers from Pretoria is
unique not only because it is so well-preserved, but also because visitors may
walk unhindered in it. The area around it contains a small museum and natural vegetation
covered in indigenous trees where small mammals can be observed.
Union Buildings
Union BuildingsThe Union Buildings designed by Sir Herbert Baker were built to
symbolize the union, or perhaps rather truce, that took place in 1910 when the white
peoples of the country achieved conditional independence. The huge structure
has moved with the times and is now the seat of the administrative government
and the site for national celebrations.
Freedom Park
Freedom Park, which opened in 2007, provides an opportunity for South
Africans to reflect on the past and plan for a better future. The Park honors
all races and cultures while attempting to fuse them into a common national
vision.
Pretoria is a city rich in beauty and nature that is striving to shake off its divided past and build a new future for all
its inhabitants. It offers fascinating opportunities to better understand the tensions
between the conflicts of the past and the nation's thirst for a better future.
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