For those who want to learn about South African history and culture, Johannesburg has many superb museums to educate and entertain. There are museums devoted to apartheid and the heroes who fought against it; to gold, military and Boer history; to transport, money, zoology, culture, medicine, anthropology, beer and other subjects diverse enough to capture the imagination of every visitor.
Apartheid Museum The Apartheid Museum, which opened in November 2001, offers a multi-media, multi-sensory walk through the history of apartheid. It has been critically acclaimed in South Africa and abroad.
A team of filmmakers, historians, designers, architects and curators have crafted a dramatic and moving experience for the museums visitors. Tickets are plastic cards that indicate "white" or "non-white"; footage of police vehicles driving through the township can be viewed from a Casspir itself; and 121 nooses hang from the roof, representing political prisoners executed during the apartheid years.
The experience, however, is largely audiovisual. Film and video footage collected from around the world documents the history of South Africa under apartheid - from the building of Afrikaner nationalism and life in the townships, to black and white resistance to this iniquitous system. Visitors can leave their own historical artefacts - passbooks, for example - and photographs, and record their experiences under apartheid.
Visitor info Cnr Northern Parkway and Gold Reef Rd, Ormonde, Tel: 011 496 1822 Open: Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm
Hector Pieterson Museum The museum is named after one of the first casualties of the march through Soweto on 16 June 1976, when police were ordered to shoot at a crowd of demonstrating students. Sam Nzimas photograph of the mortally wounded Hector Pieterson carried by a horrified youngster and his wailing sister came to symbolise the contribution of the youth to the liberation struggle. The museum is next to the Hector Pieterson Memorial, and the whole area has been declared a national heritage site.
Visitors move along a series of ramps and look through strategically placed windows at important scenes - including Orlando Stadium and the police station - and view exhibits such as television footage of the uprising. Participants and witnesses are invited to record their own experiences of the day. Knowledgeable tour guides include Hectors sister, Antoinette Sithole.
Visitor info 8288 Maseko Street, Orlando West, Tel and fax: 011 536 0611
Mandela Museum The Mandela Museum in Soweto is housed in what was once the home of Nelson Mandela, the worlds most famous political prisoner and South Africas former president. Soweto was an important locus of the struggle against apartheid, and Mandelas house seems an appropriate site for a museum that charts the long, hard-fought path to democracy.
Constitution Hill Museum Constitution Hill, the site of Johannesburgs notorious Old Fort prison complex, has now become a major tourist attraction. Prime attractions include the Old Fort; Number Four, the infamous black mens prison; and the adjacent Constitutional Court, the highest court in the country. Here visitors can attend hearings and view an impressive art collection.
The old prison cells have been converted into an interactive museum with a state-of-the-art audiovisual system that shows footage of former prisoners recounting their experiences. Photographs and prison artefacts - including recreations of the blanket and soap sculptures made by the inmates - help capture the rich heritage of the site.
Visitor info Corner Kotze and Hospital streets, Braamfontein, Tel: 011 274 5300 Website: www.constitutionhill.org.za Open: Every day from 9am to 5pm (but closed Christmas Day and Good Friday) There are tours every half an hour. Tours of more than 10 people need to be booked 24 hours in advance by phoning 011 403 5191
Gold Reef City Gold Reef City is a re-creation of turn-of-the-century Johannesburg, which was flooded by prospectors after the discovery of gold in 1886. With its Victorian houses and geological displays, it offers many fascinating insights into life in Johannesburg long before the technological age. In the centre of Gold Reef City stands Shaft No 14, opened in 1887 and closed after 84 years of operation in 1971.
Underground tours take visitors beneath the surface to see original mining techniques as well as more modern methods. Back on the surface you can watch gold being poured, be shown around by a multilingual guide in period costume.
Visitor info Ormonde, 5km south of the city centre. Off the Xavier Street exit of the N12 or the Boises exit of the M2 West. Tel: 011 248 6800 Website: www.goldreefcity.co.za Open Tues - Sun 09:30am to 5pm. Closed Christmas Day
MuseuMAfricA MuseuMAfricA, Johannesburgs major history and cultural history museum, is housed in the Newtown Cultural Precincts old fruit and vegetable market - which was built in 1913 and has now been imaginatively converted into a modern building. A huge collection of objects, paintings and photographs has been collected since 1935, telling the story of South Africa.
The permanent displays show urban life in Johannesburg and its place in South Africas complex history, with themes such as work as a gold miner, home in a shack and township jazz. A striking display is of the 1956 Treason Trial, during which Nelson Mandela and 155 others were imprisoned at the Johannesburg Fort. They were acquitted of treason after four years.
Other displays depict early man, stone and iron age communities, San rock art in a reconstructed shelter and the lifestyle of the first white settlers in the Johannesburg area.
Madiba Freedom Museum This museum traces the political history of Nelson Mandela, South Africas beloved former president also known as Madiba. Exhibits cover the freedom struggle and photographs capture the mood and events of the times. A suitable tribute to a truly great human being. The museum is at the Erikson Diamond Centre, so visitors who book at least a day in advance can also see a demonstration of diamond cutting.
Visitor info
Erikson Diamond Centre, Monument Rd, Kempton Park Open: Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm and on Saturday from 8am to 1pm Tel: 011 970 1355/69 Website: www.eriksons.co.za
South African Museum of Military History The Museum of Military History offers adults a fascinating look at all forms of war vehicles and weapons. And it will captivate children with the visual spectacle of its displays, from planes to trains. Tours are provided for schools and military groups; other visitors can make their way around the exhibits themselves.
Visitor info 22 Erlswold Way, Saxonwold, Tel: 011 646 5513, Fax: 011 646 5256 Website: www.militarymuseum.co.za Open daily from 9am to 4:30pm except Good Friday and Christmas Day
Department of Historical Papers Historical Papers, which was established in 1966, houses more than 2 400 separate collections and is one of the largest and most complete independent archives in South Africa. The focus is on South Africa, which provides a fascinating insight into the development of the country.
Material comes in all forms: letters, minutes, memoranda, diaries, notes, documents, parish registers, press clippings, scrapbooks, drawings, photographs, slides, articles, pamphlets, posters, stickers, badges, T-shirts and oral interviews. Papers date back as far as the beginning of the 17th century.
Recently acquired documents contain information about Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Helen Suzman, the South African Institute of Race Relations, the Congress of South African Trade Unions, the End Conscription Campaign, the South African Council of Churches, the Democratic Party, the Rivonia Treason Trial and the Bophuthatswana coup.
Press cuttings span the 1920s to the early 1990s. And the South African History Archive, established by the United Democratic Front and the Congress of South African Trade Unions in 1988 to collect documents that relate the story of the struggle, has handed its collection to Historical Papers.
Visitor info Ground floor, William Cullen Library, East Campus, University of the Witwatersrand The library is open Monday to Thursday from 8:30am to 5pm and on Friday from 8:30am to 4pm, Tel: 011 717 1940, Fax: 011 339 4137, Website: www.wits.ac.za/histp
George Harrison Park George Harrison and the history of Johannesburg are closely bound together: it was he who first found gold in 1886, a discovery that gave rise to the largest and most vibrant city in South Africa. The original 10-stamp battery mill that was used to crush the ore on site has been removed and is on display in the mining district in Main Street, in downtown Johannesburg. On view are two original shafts and sweeping views of the city.
Visitor info Main Reef Rd, Langlaagte Open: dawn to dusk, The park is locked but entrance can be arranged by phoning 011 837 7728/4291. It is wise to go to the park in a group
James Hall Museum of Transport The James Hall Museum of Transport, the largest and most comprehensive land-transport museum in South Africa, was established by the late Jimmie Hall and the City of Johannesburg in February 1964. The museum shows land transport in all its forms: ox-wagons, coaches and carts, bicycles, motorbikes, tractors, fire engines, buses, trams, trains and cars - from the Model T Ford to electric cars.
Visitor info Pioneers Park (next to Wemmer Pan) Rosettenville Road, La Rochelle Tel 011 435 9485/6/7, Fax 011 435 9821, Website: www.jhmt.org.za
Bensusan Museum of Photography and Library The Bensusan Museum of Photography is named after Dr AD Bensusan, a former mayor of Johannesburg and a man who has devoted himself to promoting the art and science of photography in this country. It was donated to the city in 1968.
The collection includes rare and valuable precision-made photographic equipment. For example, a very early Daguerre camera - bought by his English rival, WH Fox Talbot, in 1839, the year that the invention of photography was announced to the world - is on display. The collectors gallery shows how, one-by-one, seemingly impossible obstacles to photographys evolution were solved by ingenious engineering solutions.
The museum also collects the pictures made using this equipment - from the earliest wet-plate prints, to experiments in 3D such as stereoscopic views and holograms, to digital images.
The museum also specialises in preserving the work of South African photographers. Along the way interactive toys, darkrooms and multimedia shows teach basic lessons in the principles of optics, light and the moving image, and the fundamentals of photography
Visitor info Bensusan Museum is in MuseuMAfricA, at 121 Bree Street, Newtown, Johannesburg Tel 011 833 5624, Fax 011 833 5636, Website: www.wits.ac.za
Roodepoort Museum The Roodepoort Museum is a local community museum, which covers the development of Roodepoort from mining camp to city and the discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand.
Friendly guides recount the discovery of gold in the area and the development villages and towns.
The museum boasts a pioneer farmhouse dating from the mid-1800s, a Victorian house from the turn of the century, plus 1920s and 1930s lounges reflecting life in a bygone era. A special display room houses the museums collection of international decorative art objects. A temporary exhibition gallery has changing displays of local interest.
Visitor info Civic Centre, Christiaan de Wet Road, Florida Park, Tel: 011 761 0225/9, Fax: 011 674 4043, Web: www.museums.org.za/roodepoortmuseum
Specialist museums
SAB World of Beer Beer is a drink that is loved worldwide and South African Breweries is one of the largest brewing groups in the world. The SAB Museum traces very aspect of the history of brewing - and as a bonus the entrance fee includes two beers.
Visitor info 15 President St, Newtown Tours Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 6pm, Tel: 011 836 4900 Website: www.worldofbeer.co.za
Bernberg Museum of Fashion The Bernberg Museum is a branch of MuseuMAfricA, but in a separate building. It focuses on fashion in South Africa from the 17th century, as influenced by international trends.
Visitor info Cnr Duncombe Road and Jan Smuts Ave, Forest Town. The museum is temporarily closed.
ABSA Group Museum The ABSA Group Museum is dedicated to the history of the ABSA banking giant and the development of money in South Africa. It houses the largest collection of South African currency in the world, and traces its development from the primitive to the modern. It also covers numismatics, financial history and economic literacy. The museum is the only one of its kind in South Africa and is open daily.
Visitor info 187 Fox St, Johannesburg, Tel: 011 350 4167, Cell: 082 417 5674 Open: Monday to Friday from 8am to 4pm
Science museums
Bernard Price Institute for Palaeontological Research Also known as the James Kitching Gallery
On display at the Bernard Price Institute are fossils from the areas of palaeontological research in which the institute specialises. Undoubtedly Fred and Fang, two life-sized dinosaurs that have been reconstructed from fossils, provide the highlight. Fang (Afrovenator abakensis) comes from North Africa and is a fearsome mini-tyrannosaur, seven metres long and about 130-million years old. Fred (Tapinocaninus pamelae) is a mammal-like reptile from the Karoo, measures three metres in length and is twice as old as Fang. Fang preceded the more famous Tyrannosaurus Rex, and his discovery provided important proof that North America was not the only home of these fearsome flesh-eating dinosaurs. Freds fossil is the most complete specimen of its kind, and represents the oldest known land-living reptile from the southern hemisphere. There are many other specimens on display, many of which were found in Africa and South Africa, including wonderful examples of fossil plants.
Visitor info Van Riet Lowe Building, corner Jorissen St and Yale Rd, East Campus, University of the Witwatersrand, Tel: 011 716 2727, Fax: 011 403 1423 Open: Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 4pm.
Bleloch Geological Museum The Bleloch Geological Museum houses a magnificent collection of rocks and minerals used to study geology, geophysics, planetary science and meteorite studies, environmental earth science, crystallography, mineralogy and palaeontology. The museum is used for educational purposes and guided tours can be arranged (booking is essential).
Visitor info Geosciences Building, East Campus, University of the Witwatersrand, Tel: 011 717 6665, Cell: 084 500 3902, Fax: 011 717 6579 Website: www.wits.ac.za, Open weekdays 8am to 4:30pm
AECI Dynamite Factory Museum Find out how those big explosives used in movies are made at the AECI museum - and how they can be used in more constructive ways too. The museum, which is housed in the 1895 residence of a mining official, records the history of explosives with emphasis on their use in the mining industry.
Visitor info No 2 Main Street, Modderfontein, Tel: 011 606 3206, Fax: 011 606 3120
CE Moss Herbarium This museum, which is named after the first professor of botany at the university, houses several collections, a library and equipment. The main collection includes about 100 000 specimens - mostly from South Africa but also from further afield - and is constantly growing. Much of the collection is irreplaceable because many of the places where the specimens were collected have become built-up. A useful feature of the museum is the quick guide, which contains a few specimens of each species and allows for simple and easy reference. There is also a student herbarium for the use of undergraduates, and the Lynette Davidson Library, with an extensive collection of books and monographs.
Visitor info School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand Tel: 011 717 6467 Fax: 011 716 6468 or 011 403 1429 Website: www.wits.ac.za Open weekdays 8am to 4:30pm
Anthropology Museum and Resource Centre The Anthropology Museum and Resource Centre was established at the University of the Witwatersrand in 1923. Since then it has played a leading role in its field of study, in South Africa and across the world. Most of its collection is managed by the universitys Gertrude Posel Gallery in Senate House, in Jorissen Street, but there are many objects kept separately in the department of social anthropologys museum in Central Block. It functions as a centre for research by staff and students.
Visitor info Entry is by appointment only. For arrangements, contact Wits Department of Social Anthropology at 011 717 4410/04
Wits University Zoology Museum The Wits University Zoology Museum is the only natural-history museum in Johannesburg. Specimens, which are beautifully displayed in teak cabinets, can be viewed closely. The museum, which turned 75 in 1997, contains the largest collection of embryological slides in the southern hemisphere - 40 000 in all - and the total collection exceeds 60 000 specimens. It is possible to select items to illustrate themes, a feature that is a favourite of visiting schools.
Visitor info First floor, Old Education Building, East Campus, University of the Witwatersrand Tel: 011 717 6464 Website: sunsite.wits.ac.za/mus/zoo Open weekdays 8:30am to 4:30pm
Adler Museum of Medicine The Adler Museum of Medicine was established in 1962 by Dr Cyril and Mrs Esther Adler who together collected a truly remarkable private collection of medical and pharmacological memorabilia. Today the collection consists of over 40 000 objects depicting the history of medicine, dentistry and pharmacy through the ages. In June 1974, the Museum was officially handed over to the University of the Witwatersrand.
Apart from the items of medical historical interest on display, there are also documents, sculptures, pictures, videos and philatelic and medallion collections relating to medical history. The Museum has a library of rare books as well as a history of medicine reference library.
There are reconstructions of an early 20th century Johannesburg pharmacy, a dental surgery, a doctors consulting room and an optometry display of the same period. A history of Western medicine is augmented with displays of several alternative modalities where visitors can also learn about alternative treatments which include acupuncture, Chinese medicine, Tibb (Unani) and Ayurveda. Energy medicine, the newest of the alternative therapies, is also shown and explained.
An important stream of medicine in Africa, traditional healing, is showcased in the Museum with displays of an African herb shop and a patient consulting a sangoma (traditional healer).
The Adler Museum Bulletin, a fascinating publication and eminently readable, is produced twice a year.
The Museum arranges regular public lectures, tours, specialised tours for school learners, film shows, temporary exhibitions on various subjects, and provides excellent facilities for medical historical teaching and research.
The Museum is open Mondays to Fridays from 09:30 to 16:00. Closed on weekends and public holidays, 24 December to 4 January. After hours by appointment.
The Museum is generously funded by the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. Visitor info Address: 7 York Road, Parktown, 2093, Tel/fax: 011 717 2081 Website: www.wits.ac.za
