The Voortrekker Monument. Pretoria, South Africa.

The Voortrekker Monument, designed by architect Gerhard Moerdijk was inaugurated on the 16th December 1949. The building commemorates the Voortrekkers who left the cape colony in the early- to mid 19th Century.

The building itself consists of three seperate spaces - the central space (known as the Hall of Heroes), the basement level and the roof terrace. The Hall of Heroes (seen above) where one first enters the building has a viewing portal in the its centre that looks down into the basement level where a cenotaph stands.

The cenotaph is the focus of the monument - it is enscribed, "Ons vir jou Suid-Afrika," which means "we for you South Africa". These words are illuminated each year at 12 o'clock on the 16th December when the sun lines up with a small hole in the top of the dome.

Above is a view from the top of the dome, looking down into the Hall of Heroes, and then down again into the basement level where the Cenotaph stands. The floors and walls of both the Hall of Heroes and the basement level are clad in different colours of marble - all sourced from different regions of South Africa.

The white mable freize, which runs around the Hall of Heroes tells the story of the Voortrekkers. The sculptor was Hennie Potgieter and the final, full size, freize was executed by a team in Italy.

More information on the monument can be found here.

Monuments: Paul Kruger Monument, Kerk Plein. Pretoria, South Africa.

A tribute to Paul Kruger in the centre of Kerk Plein (Church Square), Pretoria. The sculptures were done by Anton van Vouw and casting was done in Italy. The base of the monument was completed in 1899, but the statues didn't come until much later as they were delayed due to the Anglo-Boer War. The statues of the four sentries were removed to England by Lord Kitchener after the Anglo-Boer War, so that the statue of Kruger was unveiled in 1913 without its sentries. The four sentries were later returned to South Africa, and in 1925 the complete monument was finally unveiled. The monument was then moved in 1954 from its original site in Prince's Park to its current site in Kerk Plein.

More information on the monument can be found here.

In Detail: Nedbank Building Doors. Church Square, Pretoria.

 

I wasn't able to take any decent photos of the interior of this building (designed by Norman Eaton and built between 1952 and 1953) due to security issues, but I was at least able to get a few shots of these beautifully designed doors and doorhandles. These were designed and commissioned by Eaton for the Nedbank building with a deliberate mix of European and African motives.

 

A Beautiful Vernacular. Lichtenburg, South Africa.