ES – uMsunduzi Museum

Exhibition Spaces

The Museum is a home to a variety of cultural-history exhibitions, housed in different buildings both at uMsunduzi and Ncome sites.

uMsunduzi Main
Building

Built in 1900s the building which houses exhibitions such as the History of Pietermaritzburg, Tapestry of Cultures, Stone and Iron Age, Prince Imperial of France etc. It used to be a Longmarket Girls School, then used as a Provincial Traffic Department office until 1985 and thereafter it became an extension of the Museum.

Ncome
Exhibition Hall

This exhibition hall forms the core of the commemorative function of the site where historical and cultural items that connect the past and the present are on display. This forms the main attraction and it is the culture and heritage anchor of the Museum.

Ncome Multi-purpose
Hall Foyer

The foyer of the multipurpose hall is used for all our temporary and travelling exhibitions. It is strategically positioned to ensure that all museum visitors and patrons, no matter what the purpose of their visit is, are exposed to these exhibitions which are in the main entrance of the hall.

Church of the Vow

The Church houses as part of its displays an exhibition on the history of the church, the original pulpit built in 1841 and two original pews which in 1861 were taken to Ladysmith Dutch Reformed Church and only returned back to the museum on 15 June 2011, there are also interesting items relating to the Voortrekker history.

Voortrekker House
333 Boom Street

The house displays exhibition on the South African War (Anglo-Boer War) and its opened-on request from the Museum.

EG Jansen Extension

The building displays an 1824 ox wagon said to be the second oldest wagon in South Africa used by the Voortrekkers during the Trek and there are also interesting items relating to the Voortrekker history and the battle fought in 1838.

Hindu Shiva Temple

This temple onsite is a replica of the Groutville Shiva Perumal temple originally built in 1937. In 1990 the temple was completely changed, it houses some Hindu items.

Andries Pretorius House

This house which belonged to one of the Voortrekker leaders displays Voortrekker items and its identical to the original house that was built on the farm Welverdient outside of Edendale in 1842 and it and relocated to the museum in 1981.