Discover 10 of the most impressive buildings in South Africa, Gaming bonus offers, Gambling profit

Discover 10 of The Most Impressive Buildings in South Africa

1 July, 2024

Bringing together a vibrant history and a progressive future, South Africa includes a great selection of structural gems. While Stonehenge or the pyramids consistently make the headlines for various reasons, much of South Africa’s architecture remains to be discovered. With that in mind, here are ten of the most impressive buildings that caught our eye.

#1. Sun City Resort and Entertainment

Located on the edge of Pilanesberg’s national park, Sun City is a massive luxury casino and resort that includes various themed areas with myriads of hotels, bars and restaurants, casinos and other entertainment facilities.

Even though South Africans and their visitors have plenty of online operators like YeboYes Casino Slots, nothing surpasses this resort in terms of entertainment and architectural splendour. And despite being an unlikely choice in terms of architectural finds, Sun City is indeed a top contender because it’s literally like nothing you’ve ever seen before.

#2. Castle of Good Hope

Regarded as the oldest surviving building in South Africa, the Castle of Good Hope was originally built by Dutch colonialists sometime between 1666 and 79. The fort, which was built using a pentagon formation, served as a seat for government and military operations for over two centuries after that. Today, the castle is open to the public and offers an intriguing insight into Cape Town’s historical and cultural past.

#3. Bosjes Chapel

Located on the Bosjes Wine Farm in the Western Cape Winelands of Wellington, this stunning chapel is a modern marvel. Creating a form that’s in synch with the surrounding mountains, this design is reminiscent of the traditional Cape Dutch gables found within the area, as well as a Catholic psalm that makes a reference to wings. This slick piece of architecture was designed to look as though it’s floating in the valley, cast out of a slim concrete shell. The building was designed with the intention of raising awareness of the marvels of God’s creations within their immediate environment.

#4. Bo-Kaap Museum

Originally built as a residential home sometime between 1763 and 68, the Bo-Kaap Museum is in the former Malay Quarter of town known as the Bo-Kaap. One of the last remaining examples of early Cape Dutch architecture from this time, this house was restored and opened to the public in the 70s, showcasing several artifacts derived from Muslim heritage. Today, the museum is run by Iziko Museums and offers a fascinating opportunity to learn more about Muslim culture in the history of Cape Town.

#5. Maropeng Visitors’ Centre

Sometimes called the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site, this state-of-the-art visitors’ center has been designed to educate visitors about the early development of mankind across millions of years. This award-winning exhibition space allows you to take a tour from the beginning of time as you watch the planet form and evolve into the world we know today. There are also various historical exhibits including fossils and stone tools that are over a million years old amongst others.

#6. South African Museum

Holding the title of a Company’s Garden institution for over a century, the building that today houses the South African Museum was originally founded by Lord Charles Somerset and has been standing proudly in its location since 1897. The museum, which is also operated by Iziko Museums houses fascinating archaeology, palaeontology and zoology collections, along with a planetarium and several pop-up exhibits.

#7. The Leonardo

Standing at 768 feet tall, the Leonardo in Johannesburg is the fourth highest building in Africa, and the tallest one in South Africa and the entire sub-Saharan Africa. Located right along Maude Street, a couple of meters away from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, this development includes a hotel, shopping mall, swimming pool, an above-ground podium, along with other entertainment facilities in the heart of the city.

#8. Groot Constantia

Built in the 17^th century, Groot Constantia is the oldest provincial heritage site and wine estate in the suburb of Constantia. Translating to ‘Great Constantia’ in both Afrikaans and Dutch, Simon van der Stel, the VOC Governor of the Cape of Good Hope built the house and used the surrounding grounds to grow vineyards along with other fruits and vegetables. The original house was completely burned to the ground in a 1925 fire, and funds were raised to restore it to its former glory. As of 1969, this manor has been opened to the public and mainly focuses on the life of rural slaves during early Cape colonial times.

#9. Mapungubwe Interpretation Center

picture © AKAA / Obie Oberholzer

Nestled within the rocky Mapungubwe National Park, the center allowed local architect Peter Rich to secure the World Building of the Year Award in 2009. Celebrating a design that had been long forgotten, this impressive building includes the creation of mud bricks made from soil and 5% cement, as well as a number of ancient vaulting techniques for the ceilings. Today, this park and visitors’ center welcomes visitors interested in viewing various historical artefacts as well as familiarizing themselves further with their surroundings, from which all the construction materials were derived from.

#10. Old Reserve Bank Building

This iconic Cape Town building might have you walking around in circles for a while before you spot it. You’re going to want to head out to the corner between Wale Street and St George’s Mall, while keeping in mind that today it sits on the grounds of the luxury Taj Hotel. Designed and completed by South African architect James Morris in 1932, the Old Reserve Bank Building has today been given a lavish makeover throughout its interiors, however its spectacular exterior remains untouched.

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