CASTLE OF GOOD HOPE

Description

Essentials about the Castle of Good Hope in brief

History buffs and military fans should definitely see the Castle of Good Hope during a visit to Cape Town. After all, the fortress is the oldest building in all of South Africa that was built by Europeans and is still in its original condition. The Castle of Good Hope is largely walkable and today also houses three museums. By the way, from the walls of the fortress you have a great view over Cape Town and Table Mountain.

The history of the Castle of Good Hope

Historically, the Castle of Good Hope dates back to a supply station built in 1652 by the Dutch East India Company for their voyages to the Spice Islands in Table Bay. Cape Town developed from this base in the following decades. In 1666, the first wooden structure was replaced by a contemporary stone-built fortress in the shape of a pentagon. The five bastions of the fortress were named after the titles of the Dutch King William II of Orange – starting in the west with Lerrdam, followed clockwise by Buuren, Catzenellenbogen, Nassau and Oranje.

Since 1678, the fortress represented the administrative and military center of the Cape Colony. From this place the expansion and conquest of the African continent by the English Crown was planned and for over 150 years the Castle of Good Hope remained the administrative center of the Cape Colony. By the way, during its long history it never had to prove its defensibility. It was only in the late 19th century that the fortress lost its importance.

The Castle of Good Hope was originally located directly on the sea, but due to frequent storm surges the northern entrance had to be moved to the west. Today’s inland location next to Cape Town’s railroad station and the central square Grand Parade only came about in the 1940s when the harbor bay was filled in.

The complex and the buildings of the Castle of Good Hope

Although parts of the fortress are still used by the South African military, it is largely accessible. Today, there are three museums inside the complex. The Castle Military Museum presents the military history of the Cape Colony. The Iziko Good Hope Gallery exhibits paintings and other artifacts. And in the William Fehr Collection you can see furniture and other exhibits from the colonial period. By the way, it is also worth taking a tour of the walls and bastions of the fortress, from which you have a great view of the city and Table Mountain.