Church Square (Pretoria)
| Church Square / Kerkplein | |
|---|---|
 |
|
 Statue of Paul Krugers, Standard Bank on the left, Ou Raadsaal on the right |
|
| Basic data | |
| place | Pretoria |
| District | CBD |
| Created | 1855 |
| Confluent streets | Paul Kruger Street, Church Street, Parliament Street, Palace Street, Mutual Street, Bank Lane |
| Buildings | Ou Raadsaal , Café Riche, Hoofposkantoor (main post office), Palace of Justice |
| use | |
| User groups | Pedestrian traffic , bicycle traffic , car traffic |
| Space design | Park with the statue of Paul Kruger |
2: Old Parliament 1891
3: Old Capitol Theater 1931
4: Old Dutch Bank 1897
5: Regskamers 1891
6: Café Riche 1905
7: Palace of Justice 1902
8: Old Central Bank and Old Insurance 1930 and 1929
9: Erste Volksbank 1930
10 : Barclays Bank
ca.1930 11: Tudor building 1904
12: Standard Bank 1934
A: Main Post Office building 1887
B: Old Mint 1892 and 1903
C: Afrikabank 1906, since 1996 Postal Museum
The Church Square or Kerkplein is the historical center of the South African capital Pretoria . It is the intersection of Paul Kruger Street and Church Street. Furthermore, the streets Parliament, Palace and Mutual Street as well as Bank Lane flow into the square.
The square was laid out in 1855 at the instigation of Marthinus Wessel Pretorius , the then President of the South African Republic , as a marketplace and place for a church. Church Square also served as a sports field.
The first church was completed in 1857. However, this burned down in 1882, so that the second Reformed church was built from 1884 to 1885 . This was then torn down between 1904 and 1905.
In the middle of the square in a small park there is a statue of Paul Kruger , which is lined with four statues of Boer soldiers . The work was commissioned by Sammy Marks in 1896 . Anton van Wouw was the sculptor. It was originally set up in Princes Park and from 1925 stood in front of the Central Station . The South African Prime Minister Daniel François Malan finally unveiled it in its current place on October 10, 1954.
Historically particularly significant buildings on Church Square are the Ou Raadsaal , the parliament building of the South African Republic and the Transvaal Province , and the Palace of Justice , where the Republic was proclaimed by Charles Robberts Swart on May 31, 1961 and the Rivonia Trial from 1963 to 1964 took place.
Web links
- Church Square at www.visitpretoria.co.za (English)
proof
- ↑ a b Pretoria Timeline 1800-2009 . In: South African History Online . Retrieved June 27, 2013.
- ^ Dr DF Malan unveils the statue of Paul Kruger on Church Square, Pretoria . In: South African History Online . Retrieved June 27, 2013.
- ↑ A Sad Day in Pretoria . In: http://www.andrewcusack.com . Retrieved June 27, 2013.
Coordinates: 25 ° 44 ′ 45 ″ S , 28 ° 11 ′ 15 ″ O