Nelson Mandela Museum


The legendary figure of Nelson Mandela occupies a place of honor not only in the history of the South African Republic . This famous fighter with racial discrimination has made a significant contribution to the eradication of apartheid, so his personality to this day attracts millions of fans from around the world. The Nelson Mandela Museum in Cape Town is one of the many institutions throughout the country that have dedicated their exhibitions to this iconic personality.

History of the museum

The Nelson Mandela Cape Town Museum is on Robben Island. The official opening of the museum for the general public took place in 1997.

Originally, the building, because of its isolated location, was used as a hospital for the insane, then as a colony-leper colony. During the war the island turned into a military base, and only in 1959 due to the severity of the climate and remoteness from the big earth, a maximum-security prison was established here. She was sadly famous for her cruel conditions of detention and her black political prisoners - the fighters against apartheid. Among them was the former South African President Nelson Mandela, who spent 18 years in solitary confinement, from 1964 to 1982. At the time of his imprisonment, Mandela was forced to work on a limestone quarry, resulting in an eye disease for life. But even in such conditions, prisoners talked about politics, shared information, jokingly referring to the island as the "University of Robin Island."

Sightseeing today

The museum is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. He became the embodiment of the struggle for the idea and an attempt to express admiration for Nelson Mandela for the dignity acquired by the South African Republic . Visitors to the museum will be presented with unique expositions that clearly testify to the difficult fate of the prisoners. These are perfectly preserved objects of everyday life of prisoners, and prison cells in their primeval severity.

As a guide, former prisoners and prison guards act. Some of them found Mandela during his imprisonment. The guide tells in detail about the life of the island, its provision, inhabitants and tragic history.

How to get there?

Under favorable weather conditions, excursions to the museum are held at any time of the year. The ferry in the direction of the island departs from Nelson Mandela Gateway 4 times a day. On Robben, tourists are provided with a bus and make walks, both on the territory and directly in the museum.