Page 131 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - South Africa

THE CIT Y BOWL  129

Dutch Reformed Church in On that day in 1990, 250,000
Cape Town from 1864–71. people streamed to the
Grand Parade to celebrate
R Groote Kerk the release of the country's
43 Adderley St. Map 5 B2. Tel 021 422 future president. Today, the
0569. Open 10am–2pm Mon–Fri. Ring City Hall is home to the Cape
ahead for a free guided tour. Philharmonic Orchestra, which
regularly performs here.
3 Grand Parade
and City Hall 4 District Six
Museum
Darling St. Map 5 C2.
The Grand Parade was the site 25a Buitenkant St. Map 5 B2.
van Riebeeck selected for his Tel 021 466 7200. Open 9am–4pm
first fort in 1652. The structure Mon–Sat. & 8 -
∑ districtsix.co.za
was levelled in 1674 when the
Castle of Good Hope (see Up until the 1970s, the Sixth
pp130–31) was completed – Municipal District of Cape Town
Many Cape Muslims have green grocer stalls until 1821 the area was used as was home to almost a tenth of
on the Grand Parade a parade and exercise ground the city’s population. In 1965, the
for the troops. As buil dings apartheid govern ment declared
Across the road from the Slave went up around the peri meter, the area “white”, under the
Lodge is the Groote Kerk (big greengrocers established fruit Group Areas Act of 1950.
church). Soon after their arrival stalls, precursors of today’s flea Removals began in 1968, and by
at the Cape, the Dutch held market, which operates from 1982, more than 60,000 people
religious services on board Monday to Friday. The site is had been forcibly uprooted from
Jan van Riebeeck’s ship, now used both as a car park their homes and relocated
Drommedaris. Later, they and as a venue for popular 25 km (16 miles) away onto the
used a small room at events. barren plains of the Cape Flats
Castle Good Hope. Overlooking the Grand (see pp158–9).
However, they soon Parade is Cape Town’s The District Six Museum was
realized the need for a imposing City Hall. Built launched in 1994 to comme-
per manent site. A first, in 1905 in the elaborate morate the events of the
temporary struc ture at Italian Renaissance style, apartheid era and to preserve the
the northeast end of it presents its elegant memory of District Six as it was
the Company’s Garden façades on four different before the removals. It does this
was replaced by a thatched streets. A 39-bell carillon through a fascinating collection
church on the same site Andrew Murray tower was added in that includes historical docu-
in 1700, at the order of (1828–1917) 1923, which is an ments, photographs, audio-
Governor Willem Adriaan impressive half-sized visual recordings and physical
van der Stel. replica of London’s Big Ben. remains of the area such as street
The church was completely It was from the balcony of the signs. Visitors can explore the
rebuilt in the 19th century, City Hall that Nelson Mandela museum alone, or take a guided
and the new building was addressed the world after tour with a former resident of
dedicated in 1841. All that spending 27 years in prison. the destroyed District Six.
remains of the original church
today is the Baroque belfry,
which, unfortunately, is now
almost obscured by tall
modern buildings.
Of interest in the church is
the splendid original pulpit
supported by carved lions.
It is believed that sculptor
Anton Anreith’s original con cept
including the symbolic images
of Hope, Faith and Charity was
rejected as being too papist.
The façade of the church has
high Gothic windows divided
by bold pilasters. In front
of the building is a statue of
Andrew Murray, minister of the Cape Town’s City Hall, opposite the Grand Parade

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