South African Union Buildings - Pretoria, South Africa
Posted by: 
denben
S 25° 44.469 E 028° 12.704
35J E 621537 N 7152423
South Africa’s Union Buildings, the official seat of the national government, house the offices of the president and are located in Pretoria atop Meintjieskop Hill.
Waymark Code: WMJPTV
Location: Gauteng, South Africa
Date Posted: 12/14/2013
Views: 7
Though not in the center of Pretoria the Union Buildings occupy the highest point of the city, and constitute a South African national heritage site.
The Buildings are one of the centres of political life in South Africa; "The Buildings" and "Arcadia" have become metonyms for the South African government. It has become an iconic landmark of Pretoria and South Africa in general, and is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the city and an emblem of democracy.
The Union Buildings share duties with Cape Town as the seat of the South African government. Pretoria shares duties with Cape Town and Bloemfontein as the capital cities of South Africa. The official seat of the president are the Union Buildings in Pretoria and the Tuynhuys in Cape Town.
The Union buildings, built from light sandstone, were designed by the architect Sir Herbert Baker in the English monumental style and are 285 m long. They have a semi-circular shape, with the two wings at the sides, this serves to represent the union of a formerly divided people. The clock chimes are identical to those of Big Ben in London. The east and west wings, as well as the twin-domed towers, represent two languages, English and Afrikaans, and the inner court symbolises the Union of South Africa. These buildings are considered by many to be the architect's greatest achievement and a South African architectural masterpiece.
The lawn in front of the Union Buildings is often the location for public gatherings, whether they be protest or celebration, such as the presidential inauguration. Notable are the terraced gardens, planted exclusively with indigenous plants as well as the 9,000 seat Nelson Mandela amphitheatre.
Unfortunately the buildings themselves are not open to the public.
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