| This house museum was originally
built as the home for a well-to-do Cape family during the late 18th
century. It houses some of the best pieces of Cape furniture and
silver in the country, in addition to a priceless collection of
ceramics. A household such as this would only have been able to
function with its share of servants and slaves, and recent research
has brought to light the names and professions of some of these, as
well as the kinds of activities they would have pursued.
The house opened its doors as a museum in 1914, after the deaths of
its last private owners, Marie Koopmans-De Wet and her sister
Margaritha, and is the oldest house museum in the country. Marie
Koopmans-De Wet, after whom the Museum is named, was well known during
the South African War for her help to the orphans and widows of the
Boer republics.
Enquiries: Wieke van Delen, tel. 021 464 1265 or email
wvandelen@iziko.org.za..
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