Page 282 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - South Africa

280  THE EAST C O AST AND INTERIOR

8 Street-by-Street:
Pietermaritzburg

From its humble beginnings as an irrigation settlement established
by Afrikaner farmers in 1836, Pietermaritzburg (in the municipality
of Msunduzi) has developed into the commercial, industrial and
administrative centre of the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. An intri guing
blend of Victorian, Indian, African and modern architecture and
culture combine to produce a distinctly South African city. Many
historic buildings and monuments, as well as galleries and museums,
are located around the city centre and in the western suburbs, which
Gandhi Statue
nestle at the foot of a range of densely wooded hills. Visitors can In Pietermaritzburg,
ramble through the surrounding forests and botanic gardens, and in 1893, Gandhi had
visit several nature reserves and recreation resorts located to leave a first-class
within the city or a few minutes’ drive away. train carriage
because he
wasn’t white.
Church Street Mall is
shaded by stinkwood
trees and lined with
well-preserved
historic buildings.
Presbyterian
Church

C H U R C H L U H I E
C
. Tatham Art Gallery T H F A
Housed in the old Supreme Court, dis plays U L L
at this gallery include works by South African I S B E
artists, as well as Euro pean masters such as T R
Edgar Degas, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso. T

Key
L A N G A L I B A L E L E S T R E E T
Suggested route

Parliament
Building
The seat of
the colonial
gov ernment prior
to 1910, it now
houses Kwa Zulu-
Natal’s provincial
legislature.

Colonial Houses
The Renaissance Revival
J H Isaacs building and
the Edwardian First
National Bank are two
examples of colo nial
architecture in
Langalibalele Street.
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp388–9 and pp406–7

280-281_EW_South_Africa.indd 280 25/05/17 2:47 pm