District Six Museum

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Although impoverished, District Six was a vibrant and bustling community in Cape Town during the 1900s. In 1965 however, it was cruelly torn apart: Its inhabitants were forcibly removed from the area, as the government had declared a “whites only” district. Friends were lost, businesses crumbled, and the carefully-woven fabric of this poor but jovial community was ripped apart.

For many years, District Six was a dilapidated reminder of the forced removals; one of the many stark and ugly scars on the South African landscape. However, in 1994 – the year of South Africa’s first democratic elections – the District Six Museum was established to celebrate the community that once existed, and to remind South Africa, and the world, of the devastating forced removals of the Sixties.

Visiting the District Six Museum
For any visitor to Cape Town, as well as local dwellers, the District Six Museum is certainly worth a visit. Located in Buitenkant Street in the city centre, it’s easily accessible from the CBD, as well as from centrally located Cape Town hotels.

In fact, if you’re staying at the Taj Cape Town, you can reach the museum on foot in a matter of minutes. This means that you can go from the museum to a number of other top attractions in the City Bowl, such as the Company Gardens, the South African Museum, St George’s Cathedral and the ever-popular Greenmarket Square, among others.

If you haven’t yet secured your Cape Town accommodation, be sure to make a hotel booking at the Taj Cape Town – the city’s newest luxury hotel, and the best venue from which to Explore Cape Town’s top attractions.