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Stellenbosch Museum

During your stay in the historic town of Stellenbosch you will have many activities and attractions at your fingertips, to explore and find out a bit more about this beautiful town.

Why not spend a day visiting the many historical buildings and Museums in Stellenbosch? There truly is something for everyone in this town! From the V.O.C Kruithuis, an old gunpowder house where war memorabilia is on display, to the Toy and Miniature Museum, where you can take a trip back to the good old days before computer games and mobile phones to look at what children in the past done for amusement. The Village Museum is another must during your stay in Stellenbosch, with its four lovingly restored historic homes which you can view at your leisure, Shreuderhuis, Blettermanhuis, OM Berghs House and the beautiful Grosvenor House.

A visit to any of these wonderful historical buildings is sure to be a memorable one, and is a must for anyone visiting Stellenbosch!

Stellenbosch Toy & Miniature Museum

The Toy and Miniature Museum in Stellenbosch is a world of enchantment you must not miss.
The museum houses a collection of 1:12 scale miniatures, room boxes, miniature houses, antique dolls, cars, cuddly toys and others!
A extremely detailed and lifelike miniature of South Africa 's famous Blue train - the only one of its kind in Africa, is on show, the train travels from a miniature Stellenbosch, through the Cape Winelands and the mountains to the Karoo where it passes Matjiesfontein before it returns back to Stellenbosch.
The Museum has a small shop where the Doll's House furniture, accessories and many other gifts and treats are offered for sale.

Market Street, Stellenbosch (Behind Visitors' Bureau)

Monday - Saturday: 09:30 - 17:00
Sunday: 14:00 - 17:00

From May to August the Museum is closed on Sundays

The V.O.C Kruithuis

The town of Stellenbosch was founded in 1697 and from the date of the appointment of the first Landdrost in 1685, the local citizens or free burghers (as apposed to the employees of the Dutch East Indian Company) were organised into mounted and infantry units known as burgher commandos. These commandos had to go to Cape Town once a year for military training. As early as 1703, however, the military officers of the burgher cavalry and infantry of Stellenbosch and Drakenstein requested permission to train in Stellenbosch . It seems likely, therefore, that already in that year, or even earlier, the square in front of the V.O.C Kruithuis , known as the Braak, was being used for military exercises.

Powder, lead and flint were supplied to the inhabitants of Stellenbosch from the Company's magazine in Cape Town since 1685. During the first quarter of the 18 th Century the annual allowance was 150 pounds of gunpowder, 100 ponds of lead bullets and 300 flintlock stones. This was delivered at the end of September each year for distribution to the commandos.

In the turbulent days of the last quarter of the 18 th century, the Governor and the Political Council of Cape Town came to the conclusion that it was desirable to store ammunition in Stellenbosch .

So it was decided that Stellenbosch should be allowed as many cannons and guns and as much powder and ammunition as may be necessary to ward off an enemy attack and that a suitable building for storing the material would have to be constructed. The permission of the Here Sewetien, the governing council for the Dutch East Indian Company in Holland , was duly applied for and received and the Political council could proceed to inform the Landdrost and Heemraden of Stellenbosch of the decision to build an arsenal or magazine within the area.

The Landdrost and Heemraden were requested to assist to point out a suitable site. An inspection in loco took place and the site at the lower end of the Braak, the 'executive veld' of those days, met with general approval. In those days the site was described as open and out of the way, but yet within sight of the village.

For the reason that the Government of Cape Town itself had so much building to do, it was decided that the Landdrost and Heemraden of Stellenbosch should call for tenders for the erection of the building. At the meeting of the Heemraden that took place on 7 th October 1776, the tender of Phillip Hartog and Lambert Fick for 9000 guilders was accepted for recommendation for the Government, and in November 1776, the foundations of the building were prepared. On 5 th May 1777, the building was completed.

The date is still to be seen on one of the end walls, together with the letters V.O.C (Vereenigde Oost-Indiesche Compagnie). The 'C' in the monogram stands for Cabo. Although the building was undertaken by private contractors the company agreed to supply all the timber, Dutch grease (presumably for waterproofing), 'klinkers' (hard baked bricks) and paving stones. The wood work and metal work (hinges and locks etc) would be done in Cape Town , but the wood of the staircase and the porch would be delivered to Stellenbosch un-worked. In view of the financial predicament of the Company at the time it is not surprising that the Landdrost was instructed to see to it that all the material was used in the most economical way possible.

So well did the Landdrost supervise the building operations that only 182 days after commencement, the contractors were able to inform the court of Heemraden that the work was finished.

Stellenbosch has always been a peaceful town and not once during its 300 years of existence has it heard the sounds of guns fired in war. The V.O.C Kruithuis therefore soon lost its military importance and less than 70 years later it became the sight of the local Friday Market. In time structural additions to the back and sides of the building made the Market House more suitable for its purpose. The sloping roof on the left of the building housed the Stellenbosch fire brigade for many years.

After serving as Market House for almost a century the building was extensively restored by the Stellenbosch Municipality in 1936. The structural additions were removed, most of the woodwork, including the staircase and the outer doors, were replaced and many of the iron fittings such as hinges and bolts were also replaced. The two original copper locks on the inner doors are still there to be seen, although, unfortunately not intact.

The building was proclaimed a National Monument on the 10 th May 1940 and in 1943 it was opened to the public as a small Africana museum with Mr. Andre Bothner as curator. The museum did not exist for very long and many years passed during which the V.O.C Kruithuis remained locked and in accessible to the public. Water seepage from the roof, rising damp and lack of air caused extensive damage to the interior plasterwork.

In 1971 the municipality agreed to allow the Stellenbosch Museum to take over the building for displaying the museum's collection of firearms, cannon, military uniform etc. Serious difficulties were encountered when attempts were made to combat the problem of dampness in the structure. Several times the exhibits had to be dismantled and removed from the building when the anti-damp measures proved insufficient to control the high humidity inside the building during the wet Cape winter .

The V.O.C Kruithuis is unique in South Africa as it is the only remaining powder magazine in the country dating from the days of the Dutch East India Company (V.O.C) and it can almost be said to have become a symbol of this town's rich and varied architectural heritage.

Marius le Roux

The unique little historic building contains a wonderful collection of 17th century signalling cannon as well as many other items from the military history of the town.

Opening hours September to May, Monday - Friday: 09:00 - 14:00

Closed from June to August, As well as Sundays, Saturdays and all Public Holidays

THE EARLY MUSLIMS OF STELLENBOSCH

Many slaves were brought to the Cape by the Dutch East India Company in the 17th and 18th centuries. Not only were these captives intended as labour for the Company itself but many were sold to the burghers in and around Cape Town and later to owners in Stellenbosch and other country areas as the colony expanded. By 1692 seven owners possessed a total of 43 slaves in Stellenbosch. By 1705 the slaves had increased to 205 and towards the end of the century the number of slaves in Stellenbosch exceeded 1 400. Slaves were also set free from time to time and several owned land in Stellenbosch. Louis of Bengal, who was allowed to purchase his freedom in 1672, was one of the first people to own a farm in the Jonkershoek Valley. In 1683 and 1685 Marquart and Jan van Ceylon also obtained farms in the area.
Although only a minority of these people originally came from the Malayan Archipelago they and their descendants all became known locally as Malays or Cape Malays. Since many had no connection with Malaya it would be more correct to use the term Muslims. (The Afrikaans word Slamse or Slamaaier being a corruption of "islam" is also appropriate).
Despite the early influx of Muslims, Stellenbosch never had a large Muslim community. Sheik Jussuf, who is generally considered to be the founder of Islam at the Cape, came to the Stellenbosch district in 1694. Banished from Batavia after his capture by the Dutch East India Company he lived with his retinue of wives, children and religious followers near the mouth of the Eerste River where his grave or kramat is still visited by thousands of Muslim pilgrims every year.
Another colourful personality, also banished to the Cape by the Dutch East India Company, was the Pangerang Loring Pasür, a prince of Java, who was given a house to live in in Dorp Street, Stellenbosch in 1723.
In 1725 his brother, Prince Dipa Nagara, was also brought to Stellenbosch where he lived for 18 years. In 1749 rince Wargo Digma of Bantam and two rajahs were brought to Stellenbosch where the building of the old mill near the top of Dorp Street was put at their disposal.
The muslim community mainly excelled as craftsmen and merchants and in 1897 the first mosque was constructed in Banhoek Road.