Arcadia and the Union Buildings Travel Video Guide

Arcadia and the Union Buildings Travel Itinerary

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Head east along Vermeulen or Church streets, and you'll soon reach the Arcadia district, where Pretoria's Union Buildings , the headquarters of the South African government, perch majestically on the main hill. Designed by Herbert Baker in 1910, allegedly to symbolize the union of Briton and Boer, the lashings of colonnades and lavish amphitheatre seem instead to glorify British imperial self-confidence. Nelson Mandela had an office inside, and the buildings were famously the site of his inauguration in 1994. This was perhaps the first time their imperialist symbols were transformed, not least by the African praise-singers who delivered their odes from the amphitheatre, proclaiming Mandela as the latest in a long line of African heroes from Shaka to Hintsa, and beyond. You can walk around the buildings and their gardens, and if you're a particular enthusiast of Baker's work and the Union Buildings in particular, take one of the tours called The Baker's Dozen, run by the talkative Leone

Jackson (around R50; tel 012 344 3197).

South of the Union Buildings, the Pretoria Art Museum , corner of Schoeman and Wessels streets (Tues & Thurs-Sat 10am-5pm, Wed 10am-8pm, Sun noon-5pm; R3), houses an excellent selection of South African art and Dutch Masters, as well as some black artists, including Ephraim Ngatane. There is a small gallery (same hours; free) just beyond the main entrance which is worth popping into for its contemporary exhibitions and small cafe.

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