South Africa's oldest existing colonial building, the
Castle of Good Hope in
Cape Town, is receiving an R84-million makeover. The
Castle was build between 1666 and 1679 by the
Dutch East India Company and served as a replenishment station for ships passing the coast around the Cape on long voyages between the
Netherlands and the
Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). It now houses the
Castle Military Museum and
Iziko Museums of
Cape Town. The restoration, which is expected to take 21 month, will include the refurbishment of the five bastions (Leerdam, Buuren, Katzenellenbogen, Nassau and Oranje) as well as the repainting and recarpeting of
Castle's seven buildings. The murals will also be refurbished and the
Dolphin Pool will be re-plastered and renovated.
Due to the restoration and renovation at the
Castle of Good Hope, the following
Iziko Museum spaces at the Castle will be closed until further notice:
- The Secunde's House
- The Granary which houses the exhibition Fired: an exhibition of South African Ceramics
- The Good Hope Gallery
The
Castle of Good Hope will remain open to the public during this period. The William Fehr collection at the
Castle is also currently open to the public.
The
Castle of Good Hope is open seven days a week, except on Christmas Day & New Year's Day. The castle gates open at 9am and close at 4pm, with the last visitors admitted at 3.30pm. The entry fee is R30 (R25 on Sundays) for adults and R15 (R10) for children/students.
