Thanks to our unique city centre location we’ve been able to delve into all the fascinating pieces of Cape Town history that are situated within walking distance of the Taj Cape Town.

Take for example the Iziko Slave Lodge. It is located just opposite our main entrance and it is one of the oldest remaining original slave premises in South Africa.

Built in 1679 the Iziko Slave Lodge could, at any one time, house up to 1000 Dutch East Indian Company slaves. These slaves were all used by the Company to set up Cape Town as a halfway station. A place where ships could be refueled with fresh produce, water and other necessities for the remainder of their voyage. Without these slaves Cape Town would, in all likelihood, be a far cry from the beautiful and world-renowned city it is today.

To highlight the role the slaves played in the development of Cape Town the Iziko Slave Lodge uses beautiful voice overs, poems, images, models and other devices that effectively capture the sentiment of that bygone era.