The impressive Cape Town Holocaust Centre has been acknowledged as one of the finest Holocaust museums in the world. Using the latest technology and historical research, a visit to the museum provides an informative and compelling overview of events that should never be forgotten. The permanent exhibition uses a range of media and interactive displays to bring to light stories of the Holocaust, as well as the equally emotional local apartheid history. A documentary film including survivor testimonies gives special insight into these culturally significant events. This is an absolute must for anyone with a keen interest in history.

Nazism was driven by a racist ideology that resulted in the subjugation, internment, and execution of millions of Jews by the Nazi government during World War II. The Holocaust Centre, opened in 1999, serves as a place of remembrance for the six million Jews who died in the Holocaust between 1933 and 1945.

The Centre’s permanent exhibition is a series of text and photo panels, film footage, multimedia displays, archival documents and recreated environments divided into three main galleries. The first gallery, Racism and Discrimination, covers the start of persecution in Germany when Jews were forced to wear a yellow Star of David and Jewish businesses were destroyed. The second is dedicated to the Nazi rise to power which marked the beginning of the Third Reich. And the final gallery looks at the ghettos, highlights of which include a collection on Anne Frank and a 20-minute video of a local survivor’s testimony.

Hours: Sunday to Thursday from 10 am to 5 pm & Friday from 10 am to 2 pm
Closed: Saturdays & Jewish Holidays

Phone: +27 (0)21 462 5553
Website: www.ctholocaust.co.za

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ADVICE FOR VISITORS

A valid identification document is required for entry (passport, ID, or driver’s license). Although the theme is depressing, the Holocaust Centre is a good place not only to learn about the history of the Holocaust but also about us as people. You can spend a minimum of half a day wandering around the centre in your own time – it is easy to navigate. It is near a few other worthwhile attractions, like the South African National Gallery, South African Museum, the Company’s Garden, and the South African Jewish Museum. There is also a range of different eateries within walking distance from the centre – particularly along Bree and Long street.

DID YOU KNOW

About a third of all Jewish people alive at the time, were murdered in the Holocaust, including at least 1.1 million Jewish children. Interestingly, Hitler never visited one, single concentration camp. But he planned to collect thousands of Jewish artefacts to build a ‘Museum of an Extinct Race’ after the war.