Established 1867 Owned by City of Tshwane | Country South Africa Date formed 1867 | |
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Location c/o Church Street and DF Malan Drive in Pretoria Owner City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality | ||
The Heroes' Acre (Afrikaans: Die Heldeakker; Dutch: De Heldenakker) is a section of Church Street Cemetery in Pretoria, South Africa. It was established in 1867, and contains the graves of renowned citizens and public figures. It is the burial place of a number of historical figures including Andries Pretorius, Paul Kruger and Hendrik Verwoerd. Australian Boer War anti-hero Breaker Morant (executed by the British for war crimes during the Second Anglo-Boer War) is also buried here.
Contents
History
The first burials took place in 1867. In 1973, Tom Andrews (with the assistance of the Girl Guides) was the first surveyor of the cemetery. He documented all graves and later published it as a book called "Pioneer Sketches" (May 1983)
Location and description
The Church Street Cemetery is located on the corner of Church Street and DF Malan Drive in Pretoria. The central part of this historic cemetery is known as The Heroes Acre. The cemetery is a vast green field filled with tombstones of diverse shapes and styles which are organized in rows. As this is a Christian cemetery, the graves are oriented facing east. Trees and shrubbery give the cemetery a calm feel. The silver crosses in The Heroes' Acre are significant and distinctive of the cemetery.
The Heroes' Acre is listed as a heritage site.