Tapestry of Culture
History of PMB
Birth of Democracy
Church of the Vow
A Pretorius House
Boom Street
E.G Jansen
Exhibits
Main Building
Tapestry of Cultures
A few rooms on the mezzanine floor of the Main Building are dedicated to the cultural heritage of the main groups living in Pietermaritzburg and KwaZulu-Natal. The research for these displays was done in cooperation with members of the local community, which gives it a more personal and local atmosphere. The Tapestry of Cultures Display was [...]
The History of Pietermaritzburg
On display in the Main Hall of the Museum Main Building, the exhibition portrays some aspects of the history of Pietermaritzburg. It explains why there are different names for the city, gives an overview of the buildings, military history, healthcare, different religious groups etc. Old wagons and other historical vehicles have pride of place, and [...]
Birth of Democracy Display
OUR OWN ‘LONG WALK TO FREEDOM’ The Birth of Democracy Dislay is housed in a separate room in the Museum’s Main Building. It highlights the struggle for freedom in South Africa. There is a number of photographs depicting the apartheid rule (pre and post 1948), the strikes and the struggles of the Black South Africans [...]
Voortrekker Complex
Church of the Vow
The Church of the Vow is the original part of the museum, and houses exhibitions dealing with the history of the Church, the Vow the Voortrekker made before the Battle of Bloodriver/ Ncome, and the lifestyle of the Voortrekkers. The original pulpit, made by 2 German Craftsmen in 1840, is still on display.
Andries Pretorius House
The Pretorius House was awarded the Master Builders of SA Award for Historical Buildings in 2008, and is supposedly the first double-storied farmhouse that was built in Natal. It is furnished with items and furniture from the 1850’s, most of which belonged to Voortrekkers who settled in Natal.
The Voortrekkerhuisie (Boom Street)
This is one of the oldest original Voortrekker houses built in Pietermaritzburg, and dates from the early 1840’s. At the moment it houses a small display of items from the Anglo Boer War, specifically focussing on the concentration camps in Natal.
E.G. Jansen Extension
The Extension, added to the museum in 1955, is home to one of the original oxwagons used on the Great Trek, as well as a large number of Voortrekker memoribilia. The story of the origin of the Great Trek, its leaders and some of its most touching incidents is depicted.