Castle of Good Hope

희망봉 성

The Castle of Good Hope is a five-sided star fort in Cape Town, South Africa. It was built by the Dutch East India Company between 1666 and 1679 and is the oldest surviving building in the country. It is also considered the best-preserved example of a fort built by that company.

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At a glance

Country: South Africa
Location: Cape Town, South Africa
Built: 1679
Type: Fort

Quick answers

Where is Castle of Good Hope?

Castle of Good Hope is in Cape Town, South Africa.

When was Castle of Good Hope built?

Castle of Good Hope was built in 1679.

A pentagonal star fort built by the Dutch East India Company, South Africa's oldest surviving building.

The Dutch came to the Cape to run a supply station for ships sailing between the Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies, which is now Indonesia. Today a canal surrounds the castle, and since land was reclaimed from the sea, it sits inland, although it once stood right on the shore of Table Bay.

Why it was built

Jan van Riebeeck arrived in 1652 and built a small fort of clay and timber. In 1664, as rumours of war between Britain and the Netherlands spread, the Company ordered a stone fortress. The first stone was laid on 2 January 1666. Work was slow because the Company disliked spending money, and enslaved people brought from places such as Madagascar, Mozambique and India helped build it. In 1679 the five bastions were named after titles of William III of Orange-Nassau.

Inside the walls

The castle once held a church, bakery, workshops, homes, shops and cells. Its yellow walls were chosen because the colour reduces heat from the sun. A wall divides the courtyard, and the De Kat Balcony, rebuilt between 1786 and 1790, was where announcements were made. Today it houses museums and a collection of paintings and antique furniture. In 1936 it was declared a historical monument.

Fun facts

It is the oldest surviving colonial building in South Africa.
The five bastions are named Leerdam, Buuren, Katzenellenbogen, Nassau and Oranje.
The walls were painted yellow because the colour helps reduce the effect of heat.
The castle once stood on the Table Bay shoreline, but reclaimed land now puts it inland.