The Huguenot Memorial Museum is situated in one of the truly most beautiful valleys in the world, Franschhoek, Western Cape.
The museum is the rebuilt Saasveld building, the elegant 18-th century home of Baron Willem Ferdinand van Reede van Oudtshoorn. He erected it around 1791 on his estate (next to the present Kloof Street in Cape Town).
In 1954 the Dutch Reformed congregation in Cape Town decided to demolish the building and to erect a youth hostel in its place. Attempts to prevent the demolition were unsuccessful. It was then proposed to erect the building elsewhere. In 1957 it was agreed to rebuild Saasveld in Franschhoek (some 70 km away), next door to the Huguenot Monument, and use it as a Huguenot Museum. Each brick was numbered, and after transporting it 70 km to Franschhoek, was replaced in its original position.
The theme of the Huguenot Museum in Franschhoek is the history of the Huguenots before and after their arrival at the Cape of Good Hope. The museum contains a large variety of 17th and 18th century Cape Dutch and European furniture, bibles, copper and silver ware, kitchen utensils, documents, farming equiptment, relics and artifacts which illustrate the life of the Huguenots in the area.
Opening hours:
Monday-Saturday: 09:00 - 17:00
Sunday: 14:00 - 17:00
