Sights in Durban, South Africa
The main areas of interest to tourists are the city centre around Farewell Square, the Indian district around Queen and Grey streets, and the beachfront Golden Mile. The best way of seeing the major sights in the city centre is on one of the guided tours run by the tourist office.
City centre of Durban
The small area surrounding City Hall between Dr A B Xuma Street and Anton Lembede Street in central Durban is one of the city's more interesting spots. The colonial buildings and gardens offer a striking contrast between Durban's past and the present. High-rise office blocks tower over the remains of Durban's colonial history, where pastel-coloured art deco buildings are dwarfed by mirrored skyscrapers.
The city centre's eclectic mixture of architectural styles is the responsibility of Lord Holford, the town planner who developed the city centre during the 1970s. Lord Holford was originally from South Africa but became one of England's most notorious town planners when he created many of the soulless city centres built in England during the 1960s. He returned to South Africa to help redesign city centres as part of the Apartheid programme; his work destroyed the bustling Indian atmosphere of the city centre when thousands of Indians were moved out. The original plans for the new centre involved the demolition of the City Hall and the old railway station, but vociferous protests by conservationists prevented this.
Francis Farewell Square
The hub of this area and is named after the first British settler who built his home here out of wattle and daub in 1824. Today the square has a busy street market, but at night it resembles, rather incongruously, a Victorian cemetery as this is where most of Durban's commemorative statues have been placed. There is a cenotaph to those who died in both world wars, a memorial to the dead of the Boer War and statues of Queen Victoria, in commemoration of her diamond jubilee, and Natal's first two prime ministers.
The City Hall, on Anton Lembede Street, faces directly onto the Francis Farewell Square. This is one of Durban's most impressive buildings and reflects the town's municipal might at the turn of the 20th century. The neo-baroque building was completed in 1910 and in its day was one of the British Empire's finest city halls in the southern hemisphere. The main entrance is on Farewell Square and the hall inside is decorated with an interesting collection of portraits of Durban's mayors. What is particularly appealing about the building are the palms lining the street outside. You will also find the Natural Science Museum and Durban Art Gallery here.
The Natural Science Museum, has a grand colonial entrance adorned with palm trees. Inside is an assortment of scientific displays, including a huge gallery of stuffed African mammals. More interestingly, the museum also houses an extremely rare Dodo skeleton and South Africa's only Egyptian mummy. The KwaZuzulwazi Science Centre has an excellent series of displays dedicated to the Zulu culture.
The Durban Art Gallery, on the upper floor of City Hall, has a superb collection of work by South African artists dating from the beginning of this century. This was one of the first galleries in South Africa to collect black art, and it remains an important cultural centre. It also hosts regularly changing exhibitions of contemporary art and handicrafts, and the Durban RedEye arts festivaltakes place here several times a year.
The Playhouse is directly opposite the Anton Lembede Street entrance to the City Hall. It was built in 1935 and was originally used as a bioscope, which seated 1900 people. The lounge bar became popular with visiting sailors during the 1970s and was notorious for its heavy drinking sessions and occasional fights. The cinema was eventually forced to close after a fire and has now been restored and converted into an arts complex with five theatres.
St Paul's Church was originally built in 1853, and was rebuilt in 1906 after a fire. The church is purely British in architectural style and inside there are commemorative plaques to Durban's early settlers. The chapel of St Nicholas on the left side of the aisle was part of the Mission to Seamen between 1899 and 1989. Reverend Wade, who was rector of the church between 1952 and 1961, was the father of tennis one-hit-wonder Virginia Wade, who won the ladies singles title at Wimbledon in 1977.
The post office, built in 1885, was originally Durban's first town hall. There is a plaque on the southern corner of the building, which commemorates Winston Churchill's speech after his escape during the Boer War.
The grand structure that is now home to Tourist Junction is Durban's old railway station. The building, modelled on a traditional British Victorian railway station, was completed in 1899 and is one of the few left standing in South Africa.
The Fernando Pessoa Statue is directly opposite Tourist Junction on the other side of Dorothy Nyembe Street. The bronze statue commemorates Fernando Pessoa who lived in Durban during the early years of his life between 1896 and 1906. On his return to Portugal he lived in poverty while teaching English in Lisbon but went on to become Portugal's most celebrated and complex modern poet.
The Workshop, also on Dr A B Xuma Street, lies directly behind the old railway station and is an enormous shopping mall that has been built inside the old train sheds. With the transition of major shops to the Pavilion and Gateway malls in the suburbs, the Workshop has suffered a decline in recent years and is starting to look very shabby and doesn't have
very many interesting shops. You can get authentic Indian snacks at the food court though.
Around 500 m north of the Workshop, on Bram Fischer Road, near Warrior's Gate, is the Kwa Muhle Museum, housed in the Old Pass Office. It's a fascinating and moving exhibition of what it was like to be an African under the old regime and is also known locally as the Apartheid Museum. There is a collection of waxwork figures in hostels along with a series of photographs of incidents and riots of the past 25 years.
Another display features the Indian merchants of (formerly) Grey Street; here you can learn more about the first trade union, the Grey Street mosque, Bertha Mkhize Street beer hall, the Bantu Social Centre and bunny chow. One of the exhibits is on the 'Durban System', a method for Durban's city council to raise revenue to finance the administration of African affairs during Apartheid without using a penny of white taxpayers' money: they gave themselves the monopoly on brewing sorghum beer, which they sold for a fine profit in African-only public beer houses.
The Warrior's Gate Moth Museum, has a large collection of military memorabilia from the First and Second World Wars and battlefield relics from the Anglo-Boer and Zulu wars.
Indian district
The area around Bertha Mkhize Street, Denis Hurley Street and Grey Street is one of the oldest areas of Durban still standing. It is a good 20-minute walk west from the centre down Dr A B Xuma Street or Monty Naicker Rdreet, or take a taxi to Bertha Mkhize Street.
The pastel-coloured shopping arcades were built in the 1920s and 1930s by Indian traders. Originally they were designed so families could have their homes over their shops. In 1973, however, legislation was introduced which prohibited Indians from living in the area, though not from trading. Family labour living above the shops was seen as integral to their success and the legislation was deliberately introduced in an effort to reduce their competition with white-owned businesses. With the new legislation, much of the residential population was forced to move out to Chatsworth or Phoenix; the wealthier traders moved to Westville.
Thankfully the new residential rules did not succeed in destroying the Indian-owned businesses and many have continued to prosper. A number of original shops are still here, selling spices, saris and other goods from India, but it is now very much a commercial, rather than residential, area.
Victoria (effectively now Bertha Mkhize) Street Market, is on the corner of Denis Hurley Street and Bertha Mkhize Street. The original market was destroyed in 1973 by fire and has been replaced by a modern market. The new concrete building is rather dingy, but there are over 170 stalls inside selling curios, leather goods, fabrics, copper and spices. The main attraction of the stalls here are the spices and dried beans imported from India. Upstairs are a variety of food stalls serving up delicious snacks such as bunny chow, samosas and Durban curries. It gets extremely busy, so beware of pickpockets and don't take anything valuable with you.
The entrance to the Madressa Arcade is on Grey Street. The bazaar-like arcade was built in 1927 and houses shops selling luggage, CDs and Indian fabrics.
The Juma Masjid Mosque, was also built in 1927 and claims to be the largest mosque in the southern hemisphere, despite the fact that Muslims are a minority in Durban, which is largely Hindu. It sports gilt-domed minarets and a peaceful marble hall. The dress code must be adhered to: no shorts for men and women should wear long skirts or trousers and cover their shoulders; leave your shoes at the door.
Margaret Mncadi Avenue (Victoria Embankment)
The Victoria Embankment was originally built in 1897 and was a grand and desirable residential area facing a beautiful stretch of beach. Very little of this remains today, and at first glance the Embankment seems like any other busy road lined with skyscrapers. There are still a few sights worth seeking out, though. At the eastern end of the Embankment is the ornate Da Gama Clock. A good example of late-Victorian design, this large cast-iron clock was erected to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Vasco da Gama's discovery of the sea route to India in 1487.
A short walk further on at the junction of Dorothy Nyembe Street and the Victoria Embankment is the Dick King Statue which commemorates Dick King's epic 10-day ride to Grahamstown in 1842 whilst Durban was under siege. The Durban Club is on the opposite side of the embankment and was built in 1904. This is one of the few original buildings left on the Victoria Embankment, a grand edifice which gives an inkling of what the Victoria Embankment once looked like.
Wilson's Wharf is a modern development overlooking the harbour, home to a couple of cafés, a fish market and three boats which house the Natal Maritime Museum. Visitors can walk through the minesweeper, the SAS Durban, and the two tugs, the Ulundi and the JR More.
Just beyond the Maritime Museum is the excellent non-profit making BAT (Bartle Arts Trust)Centre. This is a popular arts centre with a concert hall and a bar and restaurant, as well as several little shops selling excellent contemporary Zulu weavings, wood-cut prints and hand made shoes.
Beachfront
The most popular seafront area extends along the length of Marine Parade (now O R Tambo Parade). Traditionally known as the
Golden Mile, it's a favourite with South African holidaymakers. The beachfront is lined with high-rise hotels, gardens and a promenade; behind is a built-up urban area which had become distinctly insalubrious. Developments over the last few years, however, have upgraded housing, brought in investment and improved safety here, although it's still best avoided at night. There's a police station on the promenade and a high police presence.
The beaches, all of which are impressive stretches of long, golden sand, are divided into areas designated for surfing, boogy boarding and swimming. All are protected with shark nets and lifeguards are on patrol daily 0800-1700. At the northern end of the Lower Marine (O R Tambo) Parade is a flea market, a hive of activity at weekends, with stalls selling Indian snacks and curios.
The promenade along Lower Marine (O R Tambo) Parade and Snell Parade has numerous tourist attractions. Running from north to south, the entertainment starts with the flea market and the
Snake Park. The park has a large collection of snakes from around the world with daily snake-handling demonstrations several times daily and feedings at weekends. Nearby are several stands where extravagantly dressed rickshaw drivers wait for tourists. The options are either a quick and painless photograph with the driver, or a photograph and ride up and down Marine (O R Tambo) Parade, usually costing around R20.
The leading attraction here, however, is uShaka Marine World.To get here drive down Mahatma Gandhi Road (formerly Point Road) from the city centre and it's on the beach at The Point. This enormous waterpark is the largest in Africa, and has the fourth largest aquarium in the world. The park is split into three areas: SeaWorld is an impressive underground aquarium; Wet 'n' Wild has a huge choice of impressive waterslides and rides; and Village Walk is a retail village that is filled with shops and restaurants.
The highlight in SeaWorld is the phantom ship, where visitors walk through glass tunnels surrounded by ragged-tooth sharks and game fish. Each corridor has a different theme, and there is a range of presentations in pools surrounding the ship throughout the day. There's also a dolphinarium, a seal pool, dive tank and a snorkel reef. Another free zone is the uShaka Beach, which hosts a variety of activities such as beach volleyball and surfing, and has 24-hour security.
A new waterfront housing and leisure development to be known as The Point Water- front (www.durbanpoint.co.za) is currently under construction at the entrance of the harbour at the end of Mahatma Gandhi (Point) Road. However, even though construction started in 2005, to date it's just a clutch of half-finished (or largely unsold) luxury flats and unfinished roads, and on our visit development had all but ground to a halt. This may be because of the current economic climate, or perhaps because the area around Point Road has long been known for its criminal element and so the development has failed to attract buyers.
Battery Beach
Heading 1 km north of Snell Parade and the Golden Mile, Battery Beach is perhaps the most attractive of Durban's beaches, with good swimming and fewer crowds. It's also the location of the
Suncoast Casino and Entertainment World, with slot machines, cinemas, a selection of bars, takeaway joints, themed restaurants and a car park for 2000 vehicles. There's a boardwalk linking the complex to the beach where you can sunbathe or rollerblade on the sundeck.
City centre of Durban
The small area surrounding City Hall between Dr A B Xuma Street and Anton Lembede Street in central Durban is one of the city's more interesting spots. The colonial buildings and gardens offer a striking contrast between Durban's past and the present. High-rise office blocks tower over the remains of Durban's colonial history, where pastel-coloured art deco buildings are dwarfed by mirrored skyscrapers.
The city centre's eclectic mixture of architectural styles is the responsibility of Lord Holford, the town planner who developed the city centre during the 1970s. Lord Holford was originally from South Africa but became one of England's most notorious town planners when he created many of the soulless city centres built in England during the 1960s. He returned to South Africa to help redesign city centres as part of the Apartheid programme; his work destroyed the bustling Indian atmosphere of the city centre when thousands of Indians were moved out. The original plans for the new centre involved the demolition of the City Hall and the old railway station, but vociferous protests by conservationists prevented this.
Francis Farewell Square
The hub of this area and is named after the first British settler who built his home here out of wattle and daub in 1824. Today the square has a busy street market, but at night it resembles, rather incongruously, a Victorian cemetery as this is where most of Durban's commemorative statues have been placed. There is a cenotaph to those who died in both world wars, a memorial to the dead of the Boer War and statues of Queen Victoria, in commemoration of her diamond jubilee, and Natal's first two prime ministers.
The City Hall, on Anton Lembede Street, faces directly onto the Francis Farewell Square. This is one of Durban's most impressive buildings and reflects the town's municipal might at the turn of the 20th century. The neo-baroque building was completed in 1910 and in its day was one of the British Empire's finest city halls in the southern hemisphere. The main entrance is on Farewell Square and the hall inside is decorated with an interesting collection of portraits of Durban's mayors. What is particularly appealing about the building are the palms lining the street outside. You will also find the Natural Science Museum and Durban Art Gallery here.
The Natural Science Museum, has a grand colonial entrance adorned with palm trees. Inside is an assortment of scientific displays, including a huge gallery of stuffed African mammals. More interestingly, the museum also houses an extremely rare Dodo skeleton and South Africa's only Egyptian mummy. The KwaZuzulwazi Science Centre has an excellent series of displays dedicated to the Zulu culture.
The Durban Art Gallery, on the upper floor of City Hall, has a superb collection of work by South African artists dating from the beginning of this century. This was one of the first galleries in South Africa to collect black art, and it remains an important cultural centre. It also hosts regularly changing exhibitions of contemporary art and handicrafts, and the Durban RedEye arts festivaltakes place here several times a year.
The Playhouse is directly opposite the Anton Lembede Street entrance to the City Hall. It was built in 1935 and was originally used as a bioscope, which seated 1900 people. The lounge bar became popular with visiting sailors during the 1970s and was notorious for its heavy drinking sessions and occasional fights. The cinema was eventually forced to close after a fire and has now been restored and converted into an arts complex with five theatres.
St Paul's Church was originally built in 1853, and was rebuilt in 1906 after a fire. The church is purely British in architectural style and inside there are commemorative plaques to Durban's early settlers. The chapel of St Nicholas on the left side of the aisle was part of the Mission to Seamen between 1899 and 1989. Reverend Wade, who was rector of the church between 1952 and 1961, was the father of tennis one-hit-wonder Virginia Wade, who won the ladies singles title at Wimbledon in 1977.
The post office, built in 1885, was originally Durban's first town hall. There is a plaque on the southern corner of the building, which commemorates Winston Churchill's speech after his escape during the Boer War.
The grand structure that is now home to Tourist Junction is Durban's old railway station. The building, modelled on a traditional British Victorian railway station, was completed in 1899 and is one of the few left standing in South Africa.
The Fernando Pessoa Statue is directly opposite Tourist Junction on the other side of Dorothy Nyembe Street. The bronze statue commemorates Fernando Pessoa who lived in Durban during the early years of his life between 1896 and 1906. On his return to Portugal he lived in poverty while teaching English in Lisbon but went on to become Portugal's most celebrated and complex modern poet.
The Workshop, also on Dr A B Xuma Street, lies directly behind the old railway station and is an enormous shopping mall that has been built inside the old train sheds. With the transition of major shops to the Pavilion and Gateway malls in the suburbs, the Workshop has suffered a decline in recent years and is starting to look very shabby and doesn't have
very many interesting shops. You can get authentic Indian snacks at the food court though.
Around 500 m north of the Workshop, on Bram Fischer Road, near Warrior's Gate, is the Kwa Muhle Museum, housed in the Old Pass Office. It's a fascinating and moving exhibition of what it was like to be an African under the old regime and is also known locally as the Apartheid Museum. There is a collection of waxwork figures in hostels along with a series of photographs of incidents and riots of the past 25 years.
Another display features the Indian merchants of (formerly) Grey Street; here you can learn more about the first trade union, the Grey Street mosque, Bertha Mkhize Street beer hall, the Bantu Social Centre and bunny chow. One of the exhibits is on the 'Durban System', a method for Durban's city council to raise revenue to finance the administration of African affairs during Apartheid without using a penny of white taxpayers' money: they gave themselves the monopoly on brewing sorghum beer, which they sold for a fine profit in African-only public beer houses.
The Warrior's Gate Moth Museum, has a large collection of military memorabilia from the First and Second World Wars and battlefield relics from the Anglo-Boer and Zulu wars.
Indian district
The area around Bertha Mkhize Street, Denis Hurley Street and Grey Street is one of the oldest areas of Durban still standing. It is a good 20-minute walk west from the centre down Dr A B Xuma Street or Monty Naicker Rdreet, or take a taxi to Bertha Mkhize Street.
The pastel-coloured shopping arcades were built in the 1920s and 1930s by Indian traders. Originally they were designed so families could have their homes over their shops. In 1973, however, legislation was introduced which prohibited Indians from living in the area, though not from trading. Family labour living above the shops was seen as integral to their success and the legislation was deliberately introduced in an effort to reduce their competition with white-owned businesses. With the new legislation, much of the residential population was forced to move out to Chatsworth or Phoenix; the wealthier traders moved to Westville.
Thankfully the new residential rules did not succeed in destroying the Indian-owned businesses and many have continued to prosper. A number of original shops are still here, selling spices, saris and other goods from India, but it is now very much a commercial, rather than residential, area.
Victoria (effectively now Bertha Mkhize) Street Market, is on the corner of Denis Hurley Street and Bertha Mkhize Street. The original market was destroyed in 1973 by fire and has been replaced by a modern market. The new concrete building is rather dingy, but there are over 170 stalls inside selling curios, leather goods, fabrics, copper and spices. The main attraction of the stalls here are the spices and dried beans imported from India. Upstairs are a variety of food stalls serving up delicious snacks such as bunny chow, samosas and Durban curries. It gets extremely busy, so beware of pickpockets and don't take anything valuable with you.
The entrance to the Madressa Arcade is on Grey Street. The bazaar-like arcade was built in 1927 and houses shops selling luggage, CDs and Indian fabrics.
The Juma Masjid Mosque, was also built in 1927 and claims to be the largest mosque in the southern hemisphere, despite the fact that Muslims are a minority in Durban, which is largely Hindu. It sports gilt-domed minarets and a peaceful marble hall. The dress code must be adhered to: no shorts for men and women should wear long skirts or trousers and cover their shoulders; leave your shoes at the door.
Margaret Mncadi Avenue (Victoria Embankment)
The Victoria Embankment was originally built in 1897 and was a grand and desirable residential area facing a beautiful stretch of beach. Very little of this remains today, and at first glance the Embankment seems like any other busy road lined with skyscrapers. There are still a few sights worth seeking out, though. At the eastern end of the Embankment is the ornate Da Gama Clock. A good example of late-Victorian design, this large cast-iron clock was erected to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Vasco da Gama's discovery of the sea route to India in 1487.
A short walk further on at the junction of Dorothy Nyembe Street and the Victoria Embankment is the Dick King Statue which commemorates Dick King's epic 10-day ride to Grahamstown in 1842 whilst Durban was under siege. The Durban Club is on the opposite side of the embankment and was built in 1904. This is one of the few original buildings left on the Victoria Embankment, a grand edifice which gives an inkling of what the Victoria Embankment once looked like.
Wilson's Wharf is a modern development overlooking the harbour, home to a couple of cafés, a fish market and three boats which house the Natal Maritime Museum. Visitors can walk through the minesweeper, the SAS Durban, and the two tugs, the Ulundi and the JR More.
Just beyond the Maritime Museum is the excellent non-profit making BAT (Bartle Arts Trust)Centre. This is a popular arts centre with a concert hall and a bar and restaurant, as well as several little shops selling excellent contemporary Zulu weavings, wood-cut prints and hand made shoes.
Beachfront
The most popular seafront area extends along the length of Marine Parade (now O R Tambo Parade). Traditionally known as the
Golden Mile, it's a favourite with South African holidaymakers. The beachfront is lined with high-rise hotels, gardens and a promenade; behind is a built-up urban area which had become distinctly insalubrious. Developments over the last few years, however, have upgraded housing, brought in investment and improved safety here, although it's still best avoided at night. There's a police station on the promenade and a high police presence.
The beaches, all of which are impressive stretches of long, golden sand, are divided into areas designated for surfing, boogy boarding and swimming. All are protected with shark nets and lifeguards are on patrol daily 0800-1700. At the northern end of the Lower Marine (O R Tambo) Parade is a flea market, a hive of activity at weekends, with stalls selling Indian snacks and curios.
The promenade along Lower Marine (O R Tambo) Parade and Snell Parade has numerous tourist attractions. Running from north to south, the entertainment starts with the flea market and the
Snake Park. The park has a large collection of snakes from around the world with daily snake-handling demonstrations several times daily and feedings at weekends. Nearby are several stands where extravagantly dressed rickshaw drivers wait for tourists. The options are either a quick and painless photograph with the driver, or a photograph and ride up and down Marine (O R Tambo) Parade, usually costing around R20.
The leading attraction here, however, is uShaka Marine World.To get here drive down Mahatma Gandhi Road (formerly Point Road) from the city centre and it's on the beach at The Point. This enormous waterpark is the largest in Africa, and has the fourth largest aquarium in the world. The park is split into three areas: SeaWorld is an impressive underground aquarium; Wet 'n' Wild has a huge choice of impressive waterslides and rides; and Village Walk is a retail village that is filled with shops and restaurants.
The highlight in SeaWorld is the phantom ship, where visitors walk through glass tunnels surrounded by ragged-tooth sharks and game fish. Each corridor has a different theme, and there is a range of presentations in pools surrounding the ship throughout the day. There's also a dolphinarium, a seal pool, dive tank and a snorkel reef. Another free zone is the uShaka Beach, which hosts a variety of activities such as beach volleyball and surfing, and has 24-hour security.
A new waterfront housing and leisure development to be known as The Point Water- front (www.durbanpoint.co.za) is currently under construction at the entrance of the harbour at the end of Mahatma Gandhi (Point) Road. However, even though construction started in 2005, to date it's just a clutch of half-finished (or largely unsold) luxury flats and unfinished roads, and on our visit development had all but ground to a halt. This may be because of the current economic climate, or perhaps because the area around Point Road has long been known for its criminal element and so the development has failed to attract buyers.
Battery Beach
Heading 1 km north of Snell Parade and the Golden Mile, Battery Beach is perhaps the most attractive of Durban's beaches, with good swimming and fewer crowds. It's also the location of the
Suncoast Casino and Entertainment World, with slot machines, cinemas, a selection of bars, takeaway joints, themed restaurants and a car park for 2000 vehicles. There's a boardwalk linking the complex to the beach where you can sunbathe or rollerblade on the sundeck.
This is edited copy from Footprint Handbooks. For comprehensive details (incl address, tel no, directions, opening times and prices) please refer to book or individual chapter PDF
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