Stellenbosch - Fallow Field Die Braak

The best starting-point for a walking tour of the town is the central square, Die Braak ("Fallow Field"). This open stretch of grass was originally a military parade ground on which festivals and other events were held (as they still sometimes are). Round the square are a number of historic buildings. Among them is the VOC Powder House, built by the Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie, VOC) in 1777, which now houses a small military museum.

Near it is the Burgher House, built in 1797 and restored in the 1950s, which is now the headquarters of the Historical Houses of South Africa Society.

At the north end of the square is the little church of St Mary on the Braak (1854), with a bell-tower added in 1884.