Pretoria Landmarks Walking Tour (Self Guided), Pretoria

The Heroes' Acre (Die Helde Akker) is a section of Church Street Cemetery in Pretoria. 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.

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".

The cementery is located on the corner of Church Street and DF Malan Drive.The central part of the 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 gives 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.

Church Square is the historic center of the city of Pretoria. It's most prominent feature is the statue of the Boer leader and president of the South African Republic, Paul Kruger. Statues of four anonymous Boer citizen-soldiers surround Kruger's on a lower level of the plinth. Several historically and architecturally significant buildings surround the square: the Palace of Justice, the Old Capitol Theater, the Tudor Chambers, the Ou Raadsaal (Old Council Chamber) and the General Post Office, which was designed by John Cleland.

The statue of Chief Tshwane is a 3.6 meter tall bronze monument, created by Angus Taylor and situated in front of Pretoria's City Hall. It is claimed by some that Tshwane led a group of Africans who first settled on the site of the city, before the coming of European settlers, but others question whether such a person ever existed. The larger metropolitan area of which Pretoria is a part has been named Tshwane; it has been proposed to bestow the name on the city itself, but that proposal is a subject of controversy.

Burgers Park was completed in 1892 and is the oldest park in Pretoria. It was used as a camping area by Voortrekkers (early Dutch settlers) before the city was established. Among the attractions оf this 9.8 acre Victorian-style park are a large fish pond with fountains, a tea garden, a florarium, and a cactus greenhouse. Also there are many trees planted in commemoration of important events.

The National Zoological Gardens of South Africa, or The Pretoria Zoo, is an 85-hectare (210-acre) zoo located in Pretoria. It is the national zoo of South Africa, and was founded by J. W. B. Gunning.

he zoo was originally established at the outbreak of the Second Boer War in 1899 and became the official National Zoological Gardens in 1916. Half of the zoo is situated on relatively flat ground, while the other half is located on the slopes of a hill. The two areas are separated by the Apies River flowing through the zoo. Two bridges provide access over the river.

Around 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) of pathways are laid out in the zoo. Golf carts are available for rent for those that prefer not to walk; most, but not all of the exhibits are accessible by golf cart. There are two restaurants located within the zoo and a picnic area on the banks of the Apies River. A crafts market is located outside zoo entrance. The zoo includes an aquarium, reptile park, aviary, Australian section, primate section and a carnivore section amongst others.

The Union Buildings form the official seat of the South African government and also house the offices of the President of South Africa. The imposing buildings are located atop Meintjieskop at the Northern end of Arcadia, close to historic Church Square and the Voortrekker Monument. The large gardens of the Buildings are nestled between Government Avenue, Vermeulen Street East, Church Street, the R104, and Blackwood Street. Fairview Avenue is a closed road where only officials can enter to the Union Buildings. Though not in the center of Pretoria the Union Buildings occupy the highest point of Pretoria, and constitute a South African National monument.

The Buildings are one of the centres of political life in South Africa; "The Buildings" and "Arcadia" have become metonyms for the South African Government. It has become an iconic landmark of Pretoria and South Africa in general, and is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the city and an emblem of democracy.

The Union Buildings, built from light sandstone, were designed by the architect Sir Herbert Baker in the English monumental style and are 285 m long. They have a semi-circular shape, with the two wings at the sides, this serves to represent the union of a formerly divided people. The clock chimes are identical to those of Big Ben in London.