OUR PICK OF JOBURG'S MUSEUMS
ABSA MONEY MUSEUM
Hidden inside the sparkling halls of the Barclays Bank building is this little museum dedicated to all things money. The Absa Money Museum starts out by detailing the ancient forms of currency used millennia ago such as whale teeth and shells, before moving on to coins, paper money and the evolution of modern banking and ends with the 2008 global financial crisis. As well as Roman coins and banknotes from across the world, the museum also boasts curiosities such as a massive 19th-century calculator and old-fashioned piggy banks. You can view the museum online (along with current and previous L'Atelier winner exhibitions) by exploring Absa's virtual gallery.
Where: Barclays Tower West, 15 Troye St, City Centre, +27 11 350 3003. Open 08:30 – 16:00. Closed Sat, Sun.
Tickets: Entrance is free.
APARTHEID MUSEUM
The Apartheid Museum 's thought-provoking experience begins at the entrance with your ticket, where you are randomly assigned as 'white' or 'non-white' and led through separate entrances. The extensive museum is a sobering and at times uncomfortable look at the system of apartheid and the many ways it impacted black people in South Africa. A must-visit for locals and tourists alike.Where: Cnr Northern Parkway and Gold Reef Rd, Ormonde (Gold Reef City), +27 11 309 4700. Open 09:00 – 17:00. Closed Mon, Tue. Visit the website for more .
Tickets: Tickets can be bought at the entrance.
CONSTITUTION HILL
Once a fort, then a prison and now home to the Constitutional Court , this is a must-visit space that brings together history and the contemporary, with displays, temporary exhibitions, murals and art. Constitution Hill encourages visitors to book their tickets online in advance, and tickets include an optional guided tour, or you can download the free app and guide yourself around the site with an audio guide on your phone. Constitution Hill has also developed the Creative Uprising , an ongoing project to transform and revitalise unused spaces in the precinct, creating collaborative spaces for local creatives. Read about this ambitious new development here.Where: Cnr Joubert St and Kotze St, Braamfontein, +27 11 381 3100. Open daily 09:00 – 16:00. Closed Dec 25, 26 and Jan 1.
Tickets: Buy your tickets online at webtickets . A few public holidays allow free admission.
DITSONG NATIONAL MUSEUM OF MILITARY HISTORY
Fascinating for war history buffs, the extensive exhibits at the Ditsong National Museum of Military History reflect historical aspects of warfare and detail many of southern Africa's biggest conflicts including the Anglo-Zulu War, the Anglo-Boer War, South Africa’s role in the First and Second World Wars and the armed resistance movements that fought against apartheid. The museum forms part of the state-managed Ditsong group of museums (all the other Ditsong museums are located in Tshwane).
Where: 22 Erlswold Way, Saxonwold, +27 11 646 5513. Open daily 09:00 – 16:30. Closed Dec 25, 26 and Jan 1.
Tickets: Tickets can be bought at the entrance; for more information visit the website.
FERREIRA MINE STOPE
In the basement of the Standard Bank headquarters in the Joburg City Centre, is the Ferreira Mine Stope, one of the first gold prospecting sites in the city. The long-forgotten mine entrance was discovered in the 1980s during the construction of the Standard Bank building and it has since been preserved as a small museum. The stope is named after Ignatius Phillip Ferreira, a farmer, soldier and later a gold prospector, who also has a city district, Ferreirasdorp, named after him. A small exhibition illustrated by photographs and old maps details how the first prospectors, including Ferreira, operated and there are also various pieces of early mining equipment such as gas lamps and pickaxes.
Where: Standard Bank building, 17 Simmonds St, Johannesburg City Centre, +27 11 636 5235. Open daily 07:00 – 18:00.
Tickets: Entrance is free.
