1891
The Ou Raadsaal, or Old Council Hall, was commissioned by the first president of the Boer Transvaal republic, Paul Kruger, and was designed by the Dutch architect, Sytze Wierda.
The Raadsaal was the home of the Volksraad, the republican parliament. Rumour has it that originally the building was to be two storeys high, but that Kruger, on discovering that the neighbouring hotel was to have three, commissioned an additional floor.
The building is now used by the Tshwane Municipal Authority, but it remains full of references to Kruger and his colleagues.
It faces a statue of Kruger in Church Square: the statue has been protected by a high fence since it was splashed with paint during a protest in 2016.
Photo: Julia Gallagher
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