Castle of Good Hope the oldest building in South Africa

Let us travel back to the year 1652. The Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC) or better known as the Dutch East India Company (DEIC) were looking to maintain their monopoly over the spice route. 

This was the old shipping lane connecting Europe with Asia by sailing around Africa. They identified Cape Town as a key site to build a refreshment base that could offer a resting place for ships and their staff travelling the route. 

At the site of the current castle was an old fort which was built out of clay and timber during Jan van Riebeeck’s time as the first commander of the Cape. This fort was called Fort de Goede Hoop and was close to the shores. It is hard to believe this when visiting the current Castle. A program of land grabbing has meant that the castle is now considerably inland. 

In 1664, which was a few years after King Charles II had been restored to the throne in England and just before the Great Plague and Great Fire of London, tensions between the Dutch and British were rising over trade dominance. As a result, instructions were made by IJsbrand Godske (who was heavily involved in its design) to the new Commander Zacharias Wagenaer to build a pentagon fortress.

The first stone of this new castle was laid on 2nd January 1666, 9 months before the great fire of London. With tensions coming to head the Dutch won a famous victory in 1667 when they burned several English naval ships on the river Medway in Kent, England. 

Construction was interrupted as the desire to spend money on this project was questioned by the DEIC, but, on the 26th April 1979, just over 13 years after the first stone was laid, the fortress was completed.