About the Museum

The Transvaal Museum was founded in 1892 by the Government of the old Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek, and originally comprised a couple of rooms in a general museum down in Boom Street, sharing its quarters with the Cultural History Museum. The collections grew rapidly, and in 1912 the present building in Paul Kruger Street was erected. No record exists as to the identity of the architect, who most probably worked for the Government at the time.

With the ever-growing collections and increasing functions the museum has to perform, the only alternative was to expand the museum building. The architect Albrecht Holm, of Holm, Jordaan & Holm, and the contractor Lona Construction were commissioned for this purpose.

What are the functions of the museum?

• Firstly, the museum acts as a documentation centre for the faunal heritage of southern Africa, with specific reference to South Africa. The collections belong to the peoples of South Africa, and the museum is the custodian. As the collections belong to the people, the museum can, and should be, used just like any reference library.

  A strange gogga nibbling at your roses? Have it identified by one of the entomology departments. School project on bats? Come have a look at the collections, and source some info in the museum library. Post-doc research? Collaborate with one of our scientists and co-author a paper.

• Secondly, the museum performs collection-based research. The collections span more than a hundred years and serve as an index of southern Africa's biodiversity. Furthermore they provide historical records of what has lived where and when. The museum's ongoing collecting and research work enables it to act as a monitor - if an abrupt change in population density of a species occurs, or if it disappears from a habitat where it is known to occur, this is documented in publications and sounds a warning.

• Thirdly, the museum is an education forum. Research conducted by museum scientists is published in journals, which adds to the international body of knowledge. The education department at the museum is responsible for making this new knowledge available at every level - from preschool to postdoc. The museum offers guided tours, lectures and worksheets, and liaises with the national Department of Education to keep its material curriculum-based and syllabus-compatible.