Pietermaritzburg

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In Pietermaritzburg you will experience country living at its most elegant and refined; wide open spaces dotted with horse studs and cattle ranches, guest farms and welcoming, quaint communities. This all-pervading, unmistakable sense of style and grace radiates from the historic heart of the 'City of Flowers' - Pietermaritzburg. Its the Zulu Kingdom's capital, and listed among the 'most important high-character' cities of Africa, the park and garden-filled metropolis exudes a gentle, sophisticated charm.

Pietermaritzburg boasts the highest concentration of attractions linked to the intricately woven history of any city in South Africa. Standing on the original Voortrekker site, the City Hall holds two southern hemisphere records - for the largest all-brick building and the largest pipe organ. The central shopping area's pedestrian precinct reveals perfectly how the short-lived Voortrekker ideal was superimposed with Victorian London, with specialist shops - notably colonial-era literature and Africana - conveniently interspersed with quaint cafes and taverns. Pietermaritzburg has 2 museums, one conveys the importance of church life in pioneering the Midlands region, while, the other Natal Museum covers all aspects of the Zulu kingdom's history - beginning with the artwork of pre-Zulu, San hunter-gatherer inhabitants. Tatham Gallery is among this country's top seven art museums, with its eclectic mix of beadwork and basketry, oils and linocuts, while British and French 19th and 20th century masterpieces are well-represented with Picasso, Matisse, Degas, Renoir.

Ex president Mr Nelson Mandela's biography sees Pietermaritzburg heading three chapters. These are his first appearance in a court of law, final public speech as leader of our country and - beyond city limits near Howick - the arrest that led to his 26-year incarceration. A small monument at this last-mentioned site is regularly visited by school tours, foreign and local visitors. Pietermaritzburg generally has no extremes in climate. The average temperature ranges from 23-31°C, although it may rise to above 40°C in the summer months from February to March.