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South from Church Square lies a precinct of museums and open spaces that has drawn complimentary comparisons with Washington DC's Smithsonian Institute. On Jacob Mare Street between Andries and Van der Walt streets is the restful Burgers Park (daily 8am-6pm; free), named after ineffective ZAR president Thomas Burgers, who ruled between 1873 and 1877. The park has a good botanic garden, a quirkily designed curator's house and a pavilion at its centre, once the preserve of brass bands and all-white tea parties, but now multiracial and a good place to relax. Opposite the park's southern border, Melrose House , 275 Jacob Mare St (Tues-Sun 10am-5pm; R3), is an overdecorated Victorian house with a wonderful conservatory, interesting exhibitions and a great African arts and crafts shop. The house was built in 1884 for local businessman George Heys, who made his money running mailcoach services. Lord Kitchener used the house during the second Anglo-Boer War, and the treaty of Vereeninging that ended hostilities was signed inside. Outside, a sumptuous tea garden serves cakes and scones, light meals and, on certain days, hearty South African lunches such as bobotie and savoury rice. Head west of Burger Park along Minnaar Street, and then turn right into Paul Kruger Street and past a huge whale skeleton for the grand Transvaal Museum (Mon-Sat 9am-5pm, Sun 11am-5pm; R8), Pretoria's oldest museum and centrepiece of the Northern Flagship Institution, the collective name for Pretoria's main museums. Dedicated to natural history, the museum has plenty of stuffed animals, models of dinosaurs and wonderful fossil remains, some over one million years old. This is a good place to come if your interest in man's origins has been stirred by the discoveries of the nearby Cradle of Humankind: alongside a bronze bust of Robert Broom staring into the three-million-year-old eye sockets of Mrs Ples are an assortment of fossilized discoveries and various models and reconstructions of early hominid life. Nearby is a selection of stuffed animals, never particularly inspiring when many of the animals can be seen in real life in game reserves not too far away, though beside the paleontological displays, the various stuffed primates are particularly relevant. In the Austin Roberts Bird Hall, you'll find an informative exhibit on South Africa's many species of birds, while the Geoscience Museum highlights another Gauteng speciality, rocks and minerals. Opposite the museum at the far end of a series of fountains and well-tended flower beds is the City Hall , with its eclectic mix of Greek and Roman architectural styles, and two rather good statues of Andries and Marthinus Pretorius immediately outside. The next large block to the west is taken up by the National Cultural History Museum (daily 8am-4pm; R5), formerly known as the African Window , accessed from Visagie Street. This large, airy exhibition space is, like many public collections, gradually feeling its way in the new South Africa. Generous room is given to temporary displays, although this tends to give the museum a rather tentative air. Meanwhile, the permanent exhibitions are  © 2003 by Rough Guides Ltd. as trustee for its Authors. Published by Rough Guides. All rights reserved. Rough Guides name is a trademark of Rough Guides Ltd. Buy the book here!
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interesting in themselves, but seem a bit unconnected. They include "Access to Power", which displays and explains San rock art, and "People's Choice", where groups of local people, including township women's groups and schoolchildren, have been invited to select objects from the museum's vast collection of some three million pieces. Also here is a room showing work by J.H. Pierneef (1886-1957), one of the country's most famous artists, who is known for his bushveld landscapes.
Your Tips For Burgers Park and the Museum Mall
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