Learn about the life of Pretoria hero Paul “Uncle Paul” Kruger at the Kruger Museum, inside of his old house. See interesting artifacts, such as the knife the Transvaal Republic president used to cut off his thumb, learn about his exile in Europe and see how he and his wife lived at the end of the 19th century.
When the British invaded the Transvaal Republic around the turn of the 20th century, president Kruger led the resistance against them. Find his statue in the middle of Church Square a few blocks east in Pretoria's city centre.
Kruger lived in the building that now houses the Kruger Museum from 1884 until his exile in 1900. Walk through the refurbished living spaces of his home. Period furniture, including many of Kruger’s original belongings, have been laid out as they were when he lived here. Notice the stone lions at the front entrance. Kruger received these as a birthday present from a mining magnate in 1896.
Once you have toured the living spaces, visit the museum’s two exhibition halls to study Kruger’s life. Follow his struggle against British imperialism, track his journey through Europe after being exiled from South Africa and learn about his death in Switzerland in 1904. Identify Kruger’s distinctive long beard and bald head in a gold bust that depicts the former president.
The permanent exhibitions feature many remarkable artifacts from Kruger’s life. Find the knife he used to amputate his thumb after a shooting accident. See the presidential boxcar he used to travel the country during the war against the British.
The Kruger Museum opened in 1934. Before serving as a museum, Kruger’s residence housed a private hotel and a maternity hospital. Walk to the building next door to see where the police headquarters were once located.
The Kruger Museum lies just west of Church Square and is easily accessible on foot or by bus from Pretoria city centre. There is no parking at the museum, but the surrounding streets have plenty of public parking spaces. The museum is open daily and there is an admission fee.
