Ou Raadsaal

The Ou Raadsaal ( German: Old Parliament) was the parliament building of the South African Republic. It is located on the south side of the Kerkplein / Church Square in Pretoria, the capital of South Africa.

Architecture

The neo-renaissance building was designed by Sytze Wopke Wierda. The statue on the tower to Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, representing the industry and agriculture. During the restoration of 1962, the British coat of arms was replaced with a replica of the coat of arms of the Republic of South Africa over the entrance. Underneath, in the Dutch language of the motto " Eendragt maakt MAGT " ( German: Unity is strength ). At the beginning of the 1990s, the house was renovated again.

The council chamber is housed in the center of the building. The whole hall was restored to its original state. The walnut chairs of the parliamentarians are padded with green Moroccan leather and were placed in the original horseshoe shape after the furniture has been placed along the walls after the British occupation. Behind the chair of the Speaker of Parliament is a carved coat of arms of the South African Republic.

History

On May 6, 1889 President Paul Kruger laid the foundation stone for the Houses of Parliament. The building was held in May 1890, the Volksraad. During the Second Boer War, it took the British after the capture of Pretoria on 5 June 1900. According to the founding of the Republic of South Africa from 1962 it housed the Provincial Council of the Transvaal. Today it is used by the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality.

On the upper floor of the house the Transvaal Museum was founded in 1892. However, for reasons of space, the museum moved to a different location.