|
Sightseeing/Exploring Johannesburg |
Exloring Johannesburg, Gauteng: Sightseeing in Johannesburg
The vibrant city of Johannesburg provides visitors with many different sights:
University of Witwatersrand:
African carvings and ceremonial objects can be found at the Gertrude Posel Gallery which is located on the campus of the University of Witwatersrand. The James Kitching Gallery of the Bernard Price Institute features the largest collection of prehistoric fossils in South Africa.
Market Theater Complex Johannesburg:
The Market Theater Complex in Johannesburg is the center of the Newtown Cultural Preinct which includes the South African Breweries Museum, the Worker’s Museum as well as MuseumAfrica. The Theater Complex houses several theaters and art galleries, several restaurants and cafes, as well as shops.
Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE):
The Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) is located in a glass walled building in the center of Johannesburg. Visitors can join an informative tour at the JSE which is Africa’s biggest financial exchange.
Johannesburg Art Gallery and Sculpture Park:
The Johannesburg Art Gallery which is located in Joubert Park displays traditional, modern and historical South African art. Paintings from European schools, ceramics, sculptures as well as furniture and textiles can also be found here.
Windybrow Theater Johannesburg:
It is at the Windybrow Theater in Johannesburg where many interesting community theater productions are staged.
Hillbrow; Johannesburg:
Hillbrow is one of Johannesburg’s oldest suburbs. It has a very high population density. Many restaurants, bars and entertainment venues can be found in this virbant suburb in Johannesburg.
Ellis Park Sports Stadium:
The Ellis Park Sports Stadium is the homeground of the Gauteng Lions rugby team. Ellis Park Stadium hosts 60,000 seats and was built in 1982.
Gold Reef City Johannesburg : Website
Situated 8 km south of Johannesburg, Gold Reef City is a reconstruction of Johannesburg of the 1890s. Gold Reef City is built around shaft 14 which was a gold mine used from 1887-1971. Gold Reef City provides a theme and fun park with museaums, underground tours are provided for visitors.
Six kilometers (4 miles) south of the city center, Gold Reef City is built around the No. 14 Crown mine shaft that began operating in 1887 and by the time of its closure in 1975 had produced over 1,400 tons of gold. A re-creation of the Victorian town of the gold-rush era, the "city" houses a variety of gold-related exhibits and museums of which the most interesting is the 200m (655-ft.) descent into the old mine shaft, after which you can watch demonstrations of gold being poured and minted. Make sure you time your visit at the Gold Reef City Theme Park to coincide with a performance by the gumboot and traditional dancers.
Gold Reef City has benefited enormously from a million-dollar investment project, and during the school holidays its target audience becomes apparent as teenagers jostle for space on rides like the Anaconda roller coaster and Tower of Terror, and toddlers screech as they trundle past on the Prospector Train. A choice of 30 rides means there is something to suit all ages, and adults can take an emotional roller-coaster ride in the adjacent casino, reached via a skybridge, or enjoy agreat fine-dining experience in the Three Ships restaurant.
Johannesburg Apartheid Museum:
Opposite the Gold Reef City casino is the architecturally inspired Apartheid Museum, built, ironically, with money amassed by the Kroc brothers (owners of the casino) by selling skin-lightening products. That fact shouldn't detract from the experience of interacting with South Africa's recent (and often shameful) history by way of thoughtful multimedia displays and spaces that evoke both oppression (like the 121 hangman's nooses symbolizing the number of political prisoners "accidentally" executed during apartheid rule) and freedom (there is a peaceful park and lake). Give yourself at least an hour to absorb the impressive displays in this world-class museum.
Johannesburg Museum Africa:
Housed in the old Market Building, and part of the cosmopolitan hub that is the Newtown Cultural Precinct, Museum Africa was opened in 1994 as the first national museum to offer a truly modern take on the complex history of South Africa. The best permanent exhibit is "Tried for Treason," an evocative display using video interviews, old radio broadcasts, newspaper headlines, and photographs to tell the tale of the Treason Trial (1956-61), which put, among others, Nelson Mandela behind bars on Robben Island. "Johannesburg Transformations" includes walk-through re-creations of shacks, a miners' dorm, and a shebeen (illegal drinking house). As you explore these makeshift rooms, you are accompanied by some well-selected soundtracks from the musical giants that Sophiatown and Soweto spawned, like Miriam Makeba and Hugh Masekela. Museum Africa also houses the Museum of South African Rock Art, and the Bensusan Museum of Photography and Geological Museum.
Johannesburg Art Gallery:
Predictably, the city's first gallery was financed with the sale of a diamond. In 1904 Lady Phillips, wife of the first chairman of the Rand Mines Company, sold her 21-carat ring to purchase three paintings by Wilson Steer. Over the next 5 years she wrangled money from her wealthy connections to purchase more artwork, and commissioned Sir Edwin Lutyens to design the elegant building that now houses her collection. It is unfortunate that the gallery lies in the rather seedy center of town, as it has arguably the best international collection in South Africa, including works by El Greco, Picasso, Rodin, Dalí, and Lichtenstein. But you should have no problem if you drive in, and secure parking is available. Happily, despite ignoring black talent during the apartheid years, the gallery also has a good selection of South Africa's best, including sculptures by Venda artist Jackson Hlungwani and paintings by Helen Sebidi, Alfred Toba, and Gerard Sekoto. The rather boring Flemish and Dutch collections are more than made up for by the Brenthurst Collection of African Art, comprising curios plundered by European explorers in the 19th century, and later collections of traditional southern African artworks.
Sterkfontein Caves:
Part of the Cradle of Humankind, this treasure trove contains more than 500 perfectly preserved hominid fossils - some of the oldest surviving in the world - that have provided vital evidence on man's evolution. A 45-minute guided tour of the caves takes place every half-hour.
Soweto, Johannesburg (Gauteng, South Africa)
Being home to at least 5-6 million people, Soweto has a few parks and reserves, museums and malls. It was in Soweto in 1976 that the final phase of resistance of apartheid began. Few white South Africans have visited Soweto township which has been built beyond the „whites only“ suburbs.
Sandton, Johannesburg ( Gauteng, South Africa)
Sandton is located north of Johannesburg. The affluent suburb of Sandton is a fashionable shoppers’ paradise. Sandton City can be called the most sophisticated retail centre in the Southern Hemisphere. Sandton is especially famous for ist speciality shops, trendy boutiques, jewellers and shops selling African art, curios and leatherwork. The Sandton Square is surrounded by exclusive shops, restaurants, boutiques and cafes. The Michelangelo Hotel which is located on Sandton Square is a very exclusive 5 star Hotel which is part of the ‚Leading Hotels of the World’.
Randburg, Johannesburg ( Gauteng, South Africa)
Randburg is located about 10 km northwest of Sandton City which is another trendy suburb in Johannesburg. Randburg is known of its exclusive residential areas. The Randburg Waterfront is a lakeside center with a variety of different shops, restaurants, pubs, craft markets, cinemas, musical shows and entertainment areas. |
|
|
|
|
|
