The capital city of South Africa and much smaller in size than better known Johannesburg, Pretoria is a great place to wander round and find out more about the countries history and culture.
Around the Apies River, this area supported many cattle farmers for centuries. They were Nguni speakers who later came to be known as Ndebele or Matabele. However, the Zulu wars resulted in them being dislocatd and the Boers filled the space in this area. The Great Trek ended in 1850s when the British gave independance to the South African Republic, north of the Vaal River and to the Free State. In 1853 two farms on teh Apoies River where bought to be the capital of the republic. Many wars and violent disputes carried on. The hero of the Battle of Blood River, Andries Pretorius gave his name to Pretoria, which was the scene of the Boer Civil War fighting. It started out as a tiny frontier village.
Later in the 1880s discovering gold in the Witwatersrand caused the rise of Pretoria as this small area of farmers found themselves with some of the richest lands in the world! The British temporarily took control again in 1900 but granted self government in 1906.
The city today is fairly small in terms of getting around. All the main hotels, embassies, restaurants and shops are in the central area around Chuch Street, which at 26km, claims to be one of the longest straight streets in the world.
Sites of interest include Church Square, the heart of Pretoria, surrounded by impressive public buildings; The Union Buildings are made from red sandstone and surrounded by gardens. Paul Kruger House has been turned into a museum and offers an insight to the history of his life and times. Other museums include Transvaal Museum of Natural History and the Pretoria Art Museum. There is a flea market in the Sunnypark Shopping Centre on Sundays and a farmers market on Saturdays.
In the spring time the streets of Pretoria are lined with beautiful mauve Jacaranda trees.