The huge Voortrekker Monument in Tshwane is a unique cultural and historic attraction that draws some 200 000 visitors annually. Built to commemorate the Voortrekker pioneers and their journey — The Great Trek — it is located on a hill in the 240ha Voortrekker Monument and Nature Reserve, also known as the Voortrekker Monument Heritage Site, south of Pretoria.
The building was designed by architect Gerard Moerdijk to commemorate the bravery and persistence of the Afrikaner pioneers, who embarked north on the Great Trek between 1835 and 1854, from the British-controlled Cape Colony.
The 40m-tall granite monument houses the Hall of Heroes that retraces the journey of the Voortrekkers from the time they left the Cape Colony in their columns of ox-wagons, and in the monument on one of the world’s longest historical marble friezes, the tribulations of the Voortrekkers are depicted. Cenotaph Hall houses a tapestry of more than three million stitches that pictures the story of woman and child Voortrekkers, and a collection of historical flags and objects of historical and cultural significance. There is also a massive painting by W.H. Coetzer portraying the struggle of the Voortrekkers through the Drakensberg mountains. A bronze sculpture of an Afrikaner woman and her two children is a tribute to the female Voortrekkers who made possible the eventual settlement of the Afrikaner community.
The lower level of the monument, known as Cenotaph Hall, can house up to 900 people and is well suited to art exhibitions. With its architecture and acoustics, the monument can also be used as a distinctive venue for wedding ceremonies. The Wall of Remembrance in the monument gardens was constructed in honour of fallen members of the SA Defence force from its inception until its transition to the SA National Defence force.
Call +27 (0)12 321 6230/70/71 or visit www.voortrekkermon.org.za for more information.
Visiting hours
Monday to Sunday
May 1 – Aug 31: 08h00 – 17h00
Sept 1 – April 30: 08h00 – 18h00
