Church Square and the city centre Travel Video Guide

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The heart of Pretoria is undoubtedly Church Square , surrounded by dramatic and important buildings, and a place where you can at least try to put South Africa's complex history into perspective. It was here that Boer farmers outspanned their oxen when they came into town for the quarterly Nagmaal (Holy Communion) of the Dutch Reformed Church, turning the square temporarily into a campsite. Today this spot continues to be a meeting point for Pretorians of all races, many of whom you'll see lounging on the grass in the sun, gathering to protest with placards and singing, or simply watching it all go on while sipping coffee at the cultured Cafe Riche .

Nearly every important white meeting, protest or takeover the city has known happened in Church Square; the ZAR Vierkleur ("four colours") flag was lowered here in 1877 to make way for the Union Jack, only to rise again in 1881, after the British eviction from the republic; the British flag flew again in 1900 but was lowered for the last time in 1910; Paul Kruger was proclaimed head of state in the square four times, and 30,000 crammed it in 1904 for his memorial service. Such historical resonances are viewed differently by Pretoria's black community, and the square's central statue of Paul Kruger - the work of Afrikaner sculptor Anton Van Wouw - is for many an unwanted relic of a dismal past. Van Wouw had to work fast: Kruger hated posing and the sculptor had little time with him. Nevertheless he still managed to produce this frighteningly miserable representation, set above four rugged Voortrekker archetypes; today, the pigeons which squat on his top hat provide a suitably subversive touch.

The Continental-style square is surrounded on all sides by some of the most impressive buildings in South Africa. Look out for the old Raadsaal (parliament) on the southwest corner of the square, built in neo-Renaissance style in 1891, and still exuding the bourgeois respectability yearned for by the parliamentarians of the ZAR. Across the narrow side-street from this is the Capitol Theatre, rarely used now as a performance space but home to Tshwane Craft Market. Next door to this is the Netherlands Bank Building , now home of the tourist information office. Unbelievably, it took a gathering of 10,000 people in 1975 and five years of deliberation to reverse a decision to demolish this building and its two neighbours. The Art Nouveau Cafe Riche , on the corner of Church Street, adds a sophisticated and cultured touch to the day-to-day business of the area; it's a handy source of information, and you can buy a booklet or rent a cassette player explaining the history and architecture of the square.

On the opposite side of Church Street is the imposing General Post Office , beside which is a Stamp Museum (Mon-Fri 7.30am-4pm; free), which displays over half a million stamps, including a rare Cape Triangle of 1853. The grandiose Palace of Justice , on the northwest side of the square, was started in 1897 and, half-completed, was used as a hospital for British troops during the second Anglo-Boer War. After its completion in 1902, the building was home to the Transvaal Supreme Court for many years and was the location of the Rivonia Trial in 1963-64, when Nelson Mandela and other leaders of the ANC were sentenced to life imprisonment. Recent

restoration work has revealed and repaired the splendid facade and balconies, although the new court is an ugly box sitting squatly in a street behind the Palace. Next to this is the Reserve Bank building, designed in distinctive style by Sir Herbert Baker. Other buildings of note around the eastern and northern side of the square include the Tudor Chambers , built in neo-Tudor style in 1904, and the Neoclassical Standard Bank building on the site of the old Grand Hotel.

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