Talana Museum
How to find us:
- Street
- R33 Vryheid Rd
- Zip, City
- 3000 Dundee
- Country
- South Africa
- Phone
- +27 34 2122654
- Fax
- +27 86 5271459
- Web
- http://www.talana.co.za
- info@talana.co.za
R25 per adult R2 per scholar.
Description
Set on 50 acres of land at the base of Talana hill, the museum covers the military history of the area. The grounds saw British troops advancing across this farm on 20 October 1899 in the first battle of the Anglo Boer War 1899-1902. A walking trail up Talana hill takes you in the footsteps of the British soldiers as they advanced up the hill. British and Boer fortifications on the top of the hill form part of this walking trail.
The musuem is also the national coal mine museum for South Africa, as the first organised coal mining took place here, with the launch of the Dundee Coal Company on the London Stock exchange in 1889. At the outbreak of the Anglo Boer war in 1899 Johannesburg was the centre of the gold mining industry and Dundee the centre of the coal mining industry in South Africa. We are also the national coal mining archive centre, holding plans, documents and photographs relating the to coal industry in KwaZulu-Natal.
The museum is also the only public glass collection is South Africa, with over 1500 pieces on exhibit covering 2000 years of glass manufacture. Glass produced and used in South Africa is on display in a magnificent and colourful hall.
The museum is set on the farm of the home of one of the founders of Dundee, Peter Smith, who originated from Scotland. His home and farm buildings all contain exhibits of life on the frontier in the latter part of the 19thC. All the original buildings today house a variety of exhibits. On the site 27 buildings house different exhibits relating to the history of the area.
The museum archives are acknowledged as being a fine collection and are constantly consulted by researchers and person interested in tracing their ancestors. The data base of our holdings is avilable on our web site www.talana.co.za.
Guided tours of the museum and surrounding battlefields may be arranged through the museum office.
The restaurant and museum shop offer visitors a chance to relax, enjoy a good meal or purchase items that reflect the culture and heritage of the area.
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