Monuments and memorials

Monuments and memorials add cultural texture and memory to the city. They transform ideas, perspectives and collective memories into a physical form that allows viewers to develop their own opinions and memories.

About monuments and memorials

There are many monuments and memorials located on public land under the City’s management. They stand in memory of people or events that have had a significant impact on the development of the City and the lives of multiple generations.

Monuments and memorials have been erected in the city over a long period of time. In their diversity, they reflect changing ideas of people and events that are most important to the people of Cape Town.

There are a few periods in the city’s history where we saw an abundance of monuments being erected; including:

the period of British colonial rule in the 19th century
after the South African War,
after World Wars I and II,
the tercentenary celebrations of the establishment of the Dutch East India Company colony at the Cape (1952), and
the period after the end of Apartheid in 1994.

Cape Town’s sculptures, memorials, monuments and plaques are all protected under national legislation (the National Heritage Resources Act No. 25, 1999). The City's Arts and Culture Branch is the current custodian of the monuments, memorials and other public art. This branch is responsible for their management and maintenance in order to ensure their long term preservation.

Please note

Heritage buildings and other matters relating to the heritage of the built environment are managed by the City’s Environmental and Heritage Management Branch.

Find monuments and memorials

Search, browse and explore monuments and memorials on the Digital Vault, the City’s digital catalogue of permanent and temporary public art and the Civic Collection. Find images, physical descriptions, and the stories that make these items so interesting and important.

Access the vault

Discover monuments and memorials

There are monuments and memorials throughout the metropole, not just in the city centre. While many are instantly- recognisable statues, monuments take many forms, including: