Iziko Slave Lodge

The Iziko Slave Lodge at 49 Adderley Street, at the top of Cape Town's Company's Garden in South Africa's Western Cape, is one of the city's oldest buildings, dating from 1679. The Dutch East India Company built it to house its slaves, and at times up to several hundred men, women and children lived in cramped conditions there. Later it served as a government office, a library and the Supreme Court, and since 1998 it has operated as a museum under the Iziko Museums group. The exhibitions focus on slavery at the Cape, the origins of enslaved people brought from Africa, India, Madagascar and Southeast Asia, and the lives and resistance of those held in the lodge. Displays include original records, objects and a memorial space, and a gallery on human rights that traces apartheid and the struggle for freedom. Other galleries cover the museum's ceramics, Dutch and Cape furniture and ancient Egyptian and Greek artefacts, which reflect its earlier use as a museum of cultural history. The lodge's whitewashed walls and large courtyard give a sense of the original building, and the entrance on Adderley Street is lined with historic buildings. A visit takes about an hour, and weekday mornings are quieter, with school groups most common during term time. Photography is generally allowed in the galleries without flash, though some exhibits may restrict it. The lodge is a short walk from the Company's Garden, St George's Mall, Greenmarket Square and the Iziko South African Museum, so it combines well with a walking tour of the city centre. The subject matter is sombre, and visitors should allow time to reflect, and consider a guided talk if available.