History of Pretoria
Pretoria was founded by Marthinus Pretorius, a leader
of the Voortrekkers in 1855 and was named after his
father Andries Pretorius. The elder Pretorius had
become a national hero of the Voortrekkers after his
victory over the Zulus in the famous Battle of Blood
River. Andries Pretorius also negotiated the Sand
River Convention (1852), in which Britain acknowledged
the independence of the Transvaal. It became the capital
of the South African Republic (ZAR) on 1 May 1860.
The founding of Pretoria as the capital of the South
African Republic can be seen as marking the end of
the Boers' settlement movements of the Great Trek.
On 14 October 1931, Pretoria achieved official city
status. When South Africa became a republic in 1961,
Pretoria remained South Africa’s administrative
capital.
Pretoria is situated in the transitional
area between the Highveld and the Bushveld, approximately
50 km north of Johannesburg in the north-east of South
Africa. It lies in a warm, well sheltered, fertile valley,
surrounded by the hills of the Magaliesberg range, 1,370
m (4,495 ft) above sea level. The city's coordinates
are approximately 25°43'S 28°17'E
Pretoria is a city located in the northern
part of the Gauteng Province, previously known as Northern
Transvaal, South Africa. Although largely a government-based
city, it is also a place of culture, with theatres,
museums and monuments. It is one of the country's three
capital cities, serving as the executive (administrative)
capital; the other two being Cape Town (legislative
capital) and Bloemfontein (judicial capital). Pretoria
is also known as the IQ city due to being the location
of UNISA, the largest long distant learning University
in the world. Famous High Schools such as Afrikaanse
Seuns ( Boys) and Meisies (Girls) High schools and the
Pretoria Boys High School and Pretoria Girls High School,
together with institutions such as Medunsa, TUT, the
University of Pretoria and the world renowned Onderstepoort
Veterinary Campus as well as the CSIR are all situated
in Pretoria. Excellent medical facilities such as the
Urological hospital, Heart hospital and the Eye Institute
form just a part of this beautiful city covered in purple
with about 50,000 Jacarandas lining the streets of the
city, in bloom during the months of October, November
and quite often into December.
Church Square The history of the city
of Pretoria is very well manifested around Church Square.
The striking statue of Paul Kruger – the Boer
leader who was president of the South African Republic
– dominates the centre of the square. A step below,
this statue is surrounded by that of four other Boer
soldiers who represent the ordinary citizens of Pretoria.
Most of the other structures around
the square have some connection with the history of
the city – the Palace of Justice, the Old Capitol
Theatre, the Tudor Chambers, the Ou Raadsaal (Old Council
Chamber) and the building designed by John Cleland that
houses the General Post Office. The Palace of Justice
looks impressive with its turrets. It will always bring
back memories of the highly emotional Rivonia Trial,
which convicted Nelson Mandela, and several other prominent
members of the black South African liberation struggle
with treason.
Union Buildings The cornerstone of
the Union Buildings was laid in November 1910, to commemorate
the formation of the Union of South Africa. It cost
£1,310,640 and took 1,265 workers over three years
to complete the structure. Another £350,000 was
spent on acquiring and developing the site. The President
of South Africa conducts the affairs of the country
from this building located at Meintjies Kop. It is the
official seat of government. Black South Africans will
cherish the memory of May 1994, when Nelson Mandela
took office as the first democratically elected President
of the country. The Union Buildings have been given
a typically English monumental elegant design by architect
Sir Herbert Baker, and are built of light sandstone.
They stand 275 meters in length. The semi-circular structure
has two wings with representation for the English and
Afrikaans sections of the population. Only indigenous
plants have been planted in the scenic gardens that
graciously surround the buildings. The location has
an added attraction of a 9,000-seat amphitheatre. |
