Pretoria Museums

Pretoria offers a number of fantastic museums for tourists visiting the City of Tshwane, providing them with a great excuse to spend time with friends and family in a positive way.

The City of Tshwane boasts a wide variety of museums, ranging from displays and exhibitions to Victorian-mansions and a former presidential residence.

Here’s a list of some of Pretoria’s museums in alphabetical order:

• Freedom Park
• African Window – Ditsong National Museum of Cultural History
• Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology
• Claude Malan Museum
• Correctional Services Museum
• Ditsong National Museum of Natural History
• Kruger House
• Melrose House
• Pioneer Museum
• Pretoria Art Museum
• Pretoria Forts
• Sammy Marks Museum
• Smuts House
• Tswaing Crater Museum
• University of Pretoria Museums, including the Mapungubwe Collection
• Voortrekker Monument Museum
• Willem Prinsloo Agricultural Museum 

Freedom Park Museum

This interpretative centre at Freedom Park takes you on a journey through time and tells the story of South Africa from prehistoric times until today and group them in seven parts. With hue illuminating screens, interactive info-screens and an artistic and modern design, the museum will simply take your breath away.

Museum Hours: Daily from 08:00 to 17:00
Address: Cnr Koch and 7th Avenue, Salvokop, Pretoria
Contact: 012 336 4000
Email: info@freedompark.co.za
Website: freedompark.co.za/elements-of-the-park/hapo
Book a tour 

Picture: Ditsong Facebook Page

African Window – Ditsong National Museum of Cultural History

Main article: African Window Cultural History Museum, Pretoria (Tshwane)

The collections here range from Rock Art displays through to tribal arts and history through to Cape Dutch furniture. There are over 5 million objects collected and stored at the museum.

Museum Hours: Daily from 07:30 to 16:00.
Address: 149 Visagie Street, Sunnyside, Pretoria
Contact: 012 324 6082
Email: info@ditsong.org.za
Website: ditsong.org.za

Ditsong National Museum of Natural History

Main article: Ditsong National Museum of Natural History

The Ditsong National Museum of Natural History formerly known as the Transvaal Museum’s collections and exhibits include hominid fossils from the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site and associated fauna, including Mrs Ples. It is the only natural history museum in Gauteng and one of the largest in South Africa.

Museum Hours: Daily 07:30 to 16:00
Address: 432 Paul Kruger Street, Pretoria Central, Pretoria
Contact Number: 012 322 7632, 012 000 0040
Email: info@ditsong.org.za
Website: ditsong.org.za

Pretoria Forts

• Fort Klapperkop

Main article: Fort Klapperkop Museum,

Fort Klapperkop was the third fort erected before the outbreak of the Anglo-Boer War to protect Pretoria. The fort has been restored historically correct and arranged as a museum with picnic, braai, event and conference areas on the site.

Museum Hours: Tuesdays to Sundays 10:00 to 17:00.
Address: Johan Rissik Avenue, Sterrewag, Pretoria.
Contact Number: 012 346 7703

• Fort Schanskop

Main article: Fort Schanskop

Schanskop was proclaimed a historical monument by the Historical Monuments Commission in 1938. In 2000 Schanskop was transferred to the Voortrekker Monument. There is now an Anglo-Boer War exhibition within several of the rooms.

Museum hours, address and contact number: Same as Voortrekker Monument Museum

Picture: Ditsong

Kruger House Museum

Main article: Kruger House Museum

The house that once was the home of President Paul Kruger, has been refurbished to reflect the way it looked when the President lived there and contains relics of the period.

Museum Hours: Mondays to Sunday 07:30 to 16:00.
Address: 60 WF Nkomo Street, Pretoria (old Church Street), Pretoria Central, Pretoria.
Contact number: 076 627 2081
Email: krugerm@ditsong.org.za
Website: ditsong.org.za

Pretoria Art Museum

An art museum of world renown specialising in South African art. In Francis Baard Street (old Schoeman Street) in Arcadia, The Pretoria Art Museum collects, documents and conserves outstanding examples of mainly South African art.

Museum Hours: Tuesdays to Sundays 10:00 to 17:00
Address: Cnr Francis Baard (old Schoeman Street) and Wessels Street, Arcadia, Pretoria
Contact: Tel: 012 344 1807/8
Email: art.museum@tshwane.gov.za
Website: pretoriaartmuseum.co.za

Picture: University of Pretoria

University of Pretoria Museums

The University of Pretoria Museums under the management of the Department of UP Arts curates over fifty-two collections, which include South African art and sculpture, the largest ceramic collection and art archive in South Africa, as well as the national Mapungubwe archaeological collection.

Museum Hours: Tuesday to Fridays 08:00 to 16:00.

Address: Old Arts Building and Old Merensky Building, Main Campus Hatfield, University of Pretoria, Lynnwood Road, Hillcrest, Pretoria.
Contact Number: 012 420 5450
Email: museums@up.ac.za
Website: University of Pretoria: Museums and Collections

Melrose House

Main article: Melrose House Museum

During the Second Boer War instructions for the British forces in the field were issued from here. The house was built in 1886 and is an example of the transition from Victorian to Edwardian architectural styles and interiors.

Museum Hours: Tuesdays to Sundays from 10:00 to 17:00.
Address: 275 Jeff Masemola Street (old Jacob Maré Street), Pretoria Central.
Contact number: 012 322 2805

Picture: Ditsong

Pioneer Museum

Main article: Pioneer Museum

An open air museum set in a restored 3 hectare Victorian settler farmstead featuring a horse mill and threshing floor, and several farming implements. A visit to the three hectare area gives one a real sense of early farming culture in South Africa.

Museum Hours: Daily from 07:30 to 16:00.
Address: Stanza Bopape Street (old Church Street), Silverton, Pretoria.
Contact number: 012 813 8006
Email: pioneerm@ditsong.org.za
Website: ditsong.org.za

Picture: Ditsong

Sammy Marks Museum

Main article: Sammy Marks Museum

The Sammy Marks Museum is a Victorian mansion that originally belonged to 19th century agricultural, industrial and mining tycoon Sammy Marks. The house is now a fascinating museum that pays tribute to the genius of its original owner.

Museum Hours: Tuesdays to Sundays 07:30 to 16:00.
Address: Old Bronkhorstspruit Road, Donkerhoek, Pretoria, 0127
Contact number: 012 755 9542
Email: marks@ditsong.org.za 
Website: ditsong.org.za

Smuts House

The Smuts House Museum aim to represent the life-style and multi-facetted career of J. C. Smuts, who served as prime minister of the Union of South Africa from 1919 until 1924 and from 1939 until 1948. The museum also seek to promote the holistic vision which Smuts expounded in his life and writings.

Museum Hours: Tuesday – Sunday from 09:00 to 16:00.
Address: Smuts House Museum, Jan Smuts Ave, off Nellmapius Ave, Irene, Centurion
Contact: 012 667 1180
Email: smutshouse@iburst.co.za
Website: smutshouse.co.za

Picture: Ditsong

Tswaing Crater Museum

Main Article: Tswaing Nature Reserve and Impact Crater

Formed about 220 000 years ago when a large stony meteorite crashed into the earth’s crust, the Tswaing Crater Museum today contains a 7km trail around the 200m deep impact crater, an environmental education centre, a community arts centre as well as a cultural centre.

Museum Hours: Weekdays from 07:30 to 16:00. Weekends from 06:00 to 14:00.
Address: Plot 149 JR, Soutpan, along the old Onderstepoort Road.
Contact Number: 076 9455 911
Email: Tswaing@ditsong.org.za 
Website: ditsong.org.za

Voortrekker Monument Museum

Main article: Voortrekker Monument

Built to commemorate the Voortrekker pioneers, the 40m-tall monument is one of Pretoria’s most visited tourist attractions. Facilities on the site include horse rides, a picnic site, conference avenues and a restaurant.

Museum Hours: Daily 08:00 to 18:00.
Address: Eeufees Road, Groenkloof, Pretoria.
Contact Number: 012 326 6770 / 325 7885 / 325 0477 / 071 309 4173
Email: marketing@vtm.org.za
Website: voortrekkermon.org.za

Willem Prinsloo Agricultural Museum

The Willem Prinsloo Agricultural Museum showcases the history of the development of agriculture in South Africa from the Stone Age up until 1945. Home-made jams, mampoer, cookies, soap and Ndebele bead-work can also be purchased at the Museum farm stall.

Museum Hours: Daily from 07:30 to 16:00.
Address: Farm Kaalfontein, Rayton, Pretoria.
Contact Number: 012 736 2035/6
E-mail: prinsloo@ditsong.org.za
Website: ditsong.org.za

More Museums:

• Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology Theo van Wijk Building, Room 4-160, Muckleneuk Campus, University of South Africa in Pretoria. Tel: 012 429 6297
• Claude Malan Museum, (Military Museum), 160 Lynwood Road, Hillcrest, Pretoria. Tel: 012 362 0654
• Correctional Services Museum, Kgosi Mampuru Street (old Potgieter Street), Pretoria Central. Tel: 012 314 1766
• SAPS Heritage Services Police Museum, Pretorius Street, Compol Building, Pretoria CBD. Tel: 012 301 5297.

More information about 7 Museum Wonders of Pretoria