FOR THE ADVENTURER IN THE NATURE

Let your bicycle wheels spin on the dirt roads of the Voortrekker Monument’s grounds while you can enjoy a beautiful view at the same time. Maybe you want a Saturday outing in the field. No matter how you want to enjoy nature, here’s an adventure for you!

Some of the most significant features of our mountain bike track are as follows:

The different options cater for the full spectrum, from basic beginners to advanced “adrenaline junkies”, with various starting points to make it even more interesting. Further routes will be developed later this year.

It is in a secure, fenced nature reserve with a wide variety of fauna and flora, with adequate, secure parking.

There are a variety of other facilities on-site that can also be utilised. Visitors can also walk and jog on site, braai at the picnic site and much more.

Members of the company who do not ride bicycles can meanwhile discover the historical treasures on our site. Enjoy a coffee at “Skool op Wiele” and have a look at our gift shop.

The Voortrekker Monument is working on an exciting new project to set up a living laager exhibition. This exhibition will give the whole family an experience of the trekkers’ life in the veld. Please keep an eye on our website and social media for the launch of the project.

ARCHIVE SERVICES

The archive can be used for research from 08:00-16:00 on weekdays.

The archival material housed here consists of document collections, photographs, rare newspapers, architectural drawings, maps and audiovisual material. Among other things, there are archive collections of the Voortrekker Monument dating from 1931-1993 and of the Afrikanerbond dating from 1918-1994. An extensive collection of photographs of the Anglo-Boer War is available, as well as unique material on the origins of the Voortrekker Monument.

Focus areas for the collection are the Great Trek, the Voortrekker Monument, the Anglo-Boer War, Afrikaner cultural organisations and personal collections that contribute to the cultural and historical aspects of Afrikaans-speaking South African society.

Enquiries

Zabeth Botha
Tel: 012 325 7885
Email:  zabeth@kultuurtuiste.org.za

Also, check out the SP Engelbrecht Museum of the Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk in Africa for archival material on relevant topics.

GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH SERVICES

The Genealogical Society of South Africa’s Northern Transvaal Branch houses its book collection at the Research Centre. The members’ monthly meetings take place here on Saturdays and together with the library’s own collection, a comprehensive service is provided to people who want to research family history.

Website:  www.genza.org.za

Enquiries

Isabel Groesbeek
Tel:  012 325 7885
Email: isabel@kultuurtuiste.org.za

LIBRARY

The library offers:

• Convenient, secure parking
• A comfortable and modern reading room with reading booths and air conditioning
• Computers for reference work and Internet access
• Power points for laptops for those users who prefer to bring their own
• Lockers are available to store bags and valuables

The Reference Library is housed in the new, modern Heritage Centre and contains nearly 15 000 resources that include books, magazines, pamphlets, dissertations, and other electronic resources. It also includes the precious Hertzog collection and the collection of the Genealogical Society of South Africa’s Northern Transvaal Branch. The library focuses on topics related to South African history and cultural history, including the Afrikaans language, education, church history, history of places and place names, military history and heritage conservation.

The Great Trek, Voortrekker Monument, the Anglo-Boer War, Afrikaner personalities and family history are part of the specialised focus. Family research is becoming increasingly popular, and the library also seems to be a rich source of information in this regard.

Enquiries

Marianne Hennig

Tel: 012 325 7885

Email: marianne@kultuurtuiste.org.za

MUSEUM SERVICES

The Voortrekker Monument and Nature Reserve, as well as the Heritage Foundation, are responsible for documenting, unlocking, preserving, researching and interpreting the museum collection in its possession at all times, whether through exhibitions, publications, excavations or other audiovisual products.

The museum collection is selectively expanded through donations, proactive collection, purchases, and by using objects from other institutions.

The scope of the collections of the Voortrekker Monument and Nature Reserve, and the Heritage Foundation:

Voortrekker Monument Museum

Collects and documents objects and information related to:

• The Great Trek period (1834-1854)
• The Great Trek anniversaries
• The Voortrekker Monument and its history
• Cultural organisations and movements that emerged from the Great Trek and its anniversaries

Fort Schanskop Museum

Collects and documents objects and information related to:

• The period from the Jameson invasion in 1897 to the end of the 1914 rebellion
• The military history of the ZAR during the First War of Independence (1880-1881) and the Second War of Independence, also known as the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902)
• The history of the Fort from 1897 to the present