The Heritage Centre

The Heritage Centre was inaugurated on 4 September 2008. The exhibition Afrikaners in the 20th century: pioneers, beacons and bridges – ‘postcard images from the past’, is located on the top level. The exhibition aims to do justice to the history of, role in and contribution of the Afrikaners to South Africa in an objective manner. The modern exhibition consists of plasma screens with audio-visual programs, information and photograph panels on which cultural, political and sosio-economic highlights are displayed chronologically and thematically, whilst music and poetry can be heard in the sound booths.

On the middle floor of the Heritage Centre, the Research services’ modern reading room, equipped with photocopying and scanning facilities and internet access, provides a safe and quiet working environment for researchers. The specialized reference library contains more than 15 000 books, periodicals, journals, pamphlets, dissertations and electronic sources.

The library specialises in the history and cultural history of South Africa. It contains sources on language, education, church history, the history of places and place names, military history, family history and heritage conservation. Sources on the Great Trek, Voortrekker Monument, Anglo-Boer War, Border War, Afrikaans cultural history and South African personalities also form part of the collection.

Family history research is becoming increasingly popular, and the library offers a wealth of information on this subject. As an affiliate library to the Family Search Centre (Genealogical Society of Utah, now operating as FamilySearch International), we offer access to church and civilian records on microfilm at a reasonable tariff. Many of these records are also available online on the FamilySearch website.

The Heritage Foundation’s archive has been operating since 2002 and is located in the Heritage Centre. As a significant international research facility, our archive offers valuable information on any facet of South African history and culture to all researchers.

Our archive contains unique document collections, photographs, architectural plans, maps, and audio-visual material.

The themes of the collection include the Great Trek, Anglo-Boer War and the history of the Voortrekker Monument. Further material include collections from Afrikaans cultural organisations like the Afrikaner Broeder Bond, and personal collections which contribute to the cultural and historical aspects of the Afrikaans speaking society in South Africa. Archival material of the Heritage Foundation and the Voortrekker Monument is accessible to researchers.

Our goal is to offer a service to the broader community and to convert the archive into a popular centre which is accessible to all researchers. The archive is open for research during weekdays between 08:00 and 16:00. An entrance fee and tariffs for various services are charged

‘Die Stoep’ at the entrance of the Heritage Centre can be rented for book launches and other small functions.

The Heritage Foundation (HF) was founded in 2002 as a non-profit company and is a recognised player within the South African cultural heritage industry. The HF’s vision is to raise public awareness of threatened heritage through the retention, conservation and sustainable use of heritage resources.

Many movable, immovable and intangible South African heritage resources are being threatened despite legal protection. Heritage resources at risk include historical buildings and structures, monuments and heritage sites, cultural practices, artworks, archives, cemeteries and graves. Threats range from natural decay, accidental damage and vandalism to lack of funding and capacity as a result of shifting political ideologies and government priorities.

For certain groups, like minorities and other marginalised groups, heritage resources represent tangible expressions of their identity. When threats manifest, especially due to vandalism or bureaucratic indifference, some communities consider this as a direct affront on their culture and identity.

To achieve the HF’s vision, we have developed five programmes aimed at raising funds to protect heritage at risk. These funds enable us to provide the necessary infrastructure, expertise and services to manage threatened movable and immovable heritage, to conduct heritage research and to promote the significance of heritage resources.

The Nederduitsch Reformed Church Archive and Offices are located inside the Heritage Centre. For more information, contact the church archivist, Nandor Sarkady at argief@nhk.co.za.