Pretoria - Voortrekker Monument

Prominently situated south of the city center is the Voortrekker Monument, built in 1949 to commemorate the voortrekkers, the Boers who in the mid 19th C pushed northward into unknown territory. A ponderous square granite structure 40m/130ft high stands on a base 40m sq/430ft sq.

Steps lead up to the Hall of Heroes, with 27 marble reliefs depicting the Great Trek of 1838. Through an opening in the floor can be seen a slab of granite in the vault below with the inscription "Ons vir jou, Suid-Afrika" ("We are for you, South Africa").

The monument is surrounded by a wall depicting ox-wagons - representing the trek wagons which the Boers drew up in a circle to form a defensive laager.

There is a museum illustrating this period of South African history.