Heroes' Acre (South Africa)
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| Details | |
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| Established | 1867 |
| Location | c/o Church Street and DF Malan Drive in Pretoria |
| Country | South Africa |
| Coordinates | 25°44′47″S 28°10′29″E / 25.7464°S 28.1747°ECoordinates: 25°44′47″S 28°10′29″E / 25.7464°S 28.1747°E |
| Owned by | City of Tshwane |
The Heroes' Acre (Afrikaans: Die Heldeakker; Dutch: De Heldenakker) is a section of Church Street Cemetery in Pretoria, South Africa. It was established in 1867, and contains the graves of renowned citizens and public figures. It is the burial place of a number of historical figures including Andries Pretorius, Paul Kruger and Hendrik Verwoerd. Australian Boer War anti-hero Breaker Morant (executed by the British for war crimes during the Second Anglo-Boer War) is also buried here.[1]
History
The first burials took place in 1867. In 1973, Tom Andrews (with the assistance of the Girl Guides) was the first surveyor of the cemetery. He documented all graves and later published it as a book called "Pioneer Sketches" (May 1983)
Location and description
The Church Street Cemetery is located on the corner of Church Street and DF Malan Drive in Pretoria.[2] The central part of this historic cemetery is known as The Heroes Acre. The cemetery is a vast green field filled with tombstones of diverse shapes and styles which are organized in rows. As this is a Christian cemetery, the graves are oriented facing east. Trees and shrubbery give the cemetery a calm feel. The silver crosses in The Heroes' Acre are significant and distinctive of the cemetery.
The Heroes' Acre is listed as a heritage site.[3]
Interments
- General Louis Botha – (1st Prime Minister of South Africa)
- Andries Pretorius – (1st Chairman of the United Volksraad. Reburied in the cemetery in May 1891 and was known as "die eerste held wat in die akker begrawe is" (the first hero to be buried in the acre))
- Paul Kruger – (5th President of the South African Republic)
- Eugène Marais – (South African lawyer, naturalist, poet and writer)
- Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd – (7th Prime Minister of South Africa)
- Thomas François Burgers – (4th President of the South African Republic)
- Mary Bryson – (Wife of Thomas François Burgers)
- Johannes Gerhardus Strijdom – (6th Prime Minister of South Africa)
- Willem Cornelis Janse van Rensburg – (2nd President of the South African Republic)
- Breaker Morant – (Anglo-Australian drover, horseman, poet, soldier and convicted war criminal)
- Ernest George Jansen – (2nd-last Governor-General of the Union of South Africa)
See also
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Heroes' Acre (South Africa). |
References
- ↑ "The Sydney Morning Herald – Rollcall at Heroes Acre". Retrieved 11 April 2013.
- ↑ "List of cemeteries in Tshwane". Retrieved 11 April 2013.
- ↑ "Tshwane Heritage Site Listing". Retrieved 12 April 2013.