The History of Tuynhuys
In the city of Cape Town, South Africa, hotels, apartment buildings, restaurants and the house of the President, Tuynhuys, are all steeped in the history that permeates this city. The Tuynhuys has gone through various stages and guises over the years, and is now associated with, and a symbol of the seat of authority. This has been so for close to two hundred and fifty years. This structure is stated as having been of modest and simply beginnings. 1674 is the year the site was first referenced, and was at the time, a garden shed used for the storage of the tools of the Dutch/East India Company. This large garden was planted in 1652, by Jan Van Riebeeck. Thirty years later, the shed was rebuilt and became a guest house for the Governor during his summer time visits. Records indicate that this has been a traditional summer house for all the governors from Holland throughout the seventeenth century. This house later became the accommodations provided to international visitors of Simon Van Der Stel, the governor towards the end of the century.
By the end of the eighteenth century this building had been enlarged and reconstructed many times, and was surrounded by the gardens and the Greek and Roman sculptures that had been installed during this small hut’s transformation. From the perspective of the design elements, this is an eclectic mix that draws from the Baroque style and Neo-Classicism. East Indian and Dutch influences are also noticeable, and the plans for the building as it stands today were the work of an architect from France, Louis Michel Thibault.
Two of the men responsible for the artistic elements of the building are Jacobus Leeuwenberg and Anton Anreith, from Holland and Germany respectively. Both artists are known to have worked throughout Cape Town during the late 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century. The actual construction of the building was done by slaves, native to the country and those from Java, Malaysia and Madagascar. During this time, most of the artisans and artists creating the buildings of today were slaves. And their handicraft and skill became so admired, that the settlers often studied and apprenticed under their tutelage. This is one building with a past and a history that is so common among South Africa and should be part of any tour of the city of Cape Town.
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