Voortrekker Monument

Description

The Voortrekker Monument and museum, situated in Pretoria, commemorates the Afrikaner pioneers who trekked from the Cape in the 1830s to escape British domination. Declared a National Heritage Site in 2011, the monument is the most visited heritage site of its kind in Gauteng, and one of the top 10 cultural historical visitor attractions in the country.

Don’t miss the Cenotaph, situated at the centre of the Cenotaph Hall, the main focus of the monument. It can be seen from the Hall of Heroes as well as from the dome at the top of the building. Through an opening in the dome, a ray of sunlight shines at 12pm on 16 December every year, falling onto the centre of the Cenotaph onto the words “Ons vir jou, Suid-Afrika” (We for Thee, South Africa). The ray is said to symbolise God’s blessing on the lives of the Voortrekkers, and commemorates the date of the Battle of Blood River. At the foot of the monument, you will find Anton van Wouw’s bronze sculpture of a woman and her 2 children, honouring the role women played in the life of the Voortrekkers.