Built between 1666 and 1679, the Castle of Good Hope replaced a smaller fort built by Jan van Riebeeck, shortly after arriving in the Cape in 1652. It was meant to be a replenishment station for ships sailing between the Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia). The Castle of Good Hope is the oldest building in South Africa, and was declared a historical monument in 1936 and is now also a provincial heritage site. The castle is a bastion fort with five corners called Leerdam, Buuren, Katzenellenbogen, Nassau and Oranje.
The moat of the castle and one of the five corners, called 'Leerdam'.
Inner view of the entrance of the castleThe castle housed a bakery, shops, a church, living quarters, workshops, cells, among other facilities.
Statues of three Kings and a Khoisan freedom fighter who had been imprisoned at the castle
The castle was originally located on the coastline of Table Bay, but is now about 1 km inland after land reclamation in the 1950s.
All photos are my own
