When was the Castle of Good Hope built and other Q & A

Q: When was the Castle of Good Hope built? 

A: The Castle of Good Hope was built between 1666-1679.

Q: Did Jan van Riebeeck build the Castle?

A: No. Jan van Riebeeck built a four pointed Clay and Timber Fort, which was situated close to the now Golden Acre in the Cape Town CBD. See plan of Fort. 

 

Q: What materials were used to build the Castle?

A: Stone was cut from the granite outcrop on Signal Hill. Stone was further broken by men with hammers and piled up in readiness for conveyance to the new site. Blue slate and shells were transported from Robben Island. Shells were burned to obtain lime, which was mixed in ratio 1:1 with building clay for use as mortar.

Q: Who built the Castle of Good Hope?

A: Soldiers, slaves and a few Khoina undergoing punishment for having offended against the settlers and even a few volunteers.

Q: Why was the Castle of Good Hope built?

A: During long slow trips between Europe and the East, many crewmen fell ill and died, as the result of deficiency diseases caused by lack of fresh food. The VOC clearly required a replenisment station on their long voyages half-way round the world. Table Bay was chosen and Commander Jan van Riebeeck and his pioneers were to make gardens to produce fresh vegetables and trade with livestock with the indigenous Khoina, whom they were forbidden to molest or enslave. The four pointed clay and timber Fort was the first building to be erected in 1652 and was upon suggestion by Jan van Riebeeck to be replaced by a more permanent structure that could withstand the natural elements and protect its interests against possible attack from its potential enemies. Four years after Commander Jan van Riebeeck left the Cape in 1662, the Castle of Good Hope was built and completed in 1679.  

Q: Who was the "VOC"?

A: It was a trading company known as the Vereenighde Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC) established in 1602. In that year the States General, highest authority in the United Netherlands, granted a charter that, among other powers, conferred on the VOC the right to enter into treaties in the name of the State General, to raise and maintain an army and a fleet, and to ensure good order, control and justice. The charter also provided that no other subjects of the Netherlands may trade from the east of the Cape of Good Hope to the Straits of Magellan. Control of the VOC was vested in six chambers, each of which was represented in the central controlling body, known as the Lords Seventeen. Each chamber may build trading ships, although the loss of a ship was shared by all.

Q: What are the names of the Five(5) bastions of the Castle?

A: Leerdam, Buuren, Catzenellenbogen, Nassau and Oranje. These were named after the titles of Prince William of Orange (Prins Willem van Oranje).

Q: Why are the flags flown on the Leerdam Bastion?

A: Flags were initially flown on the Catzenellenbogen Bastion as it was the closest bastion to the sea and was used for signal purposes to relay messages from the Castle and abroad. Today the flags are visible on the Leerdam Bastion and indicate the different reigns of government during the past four centuries. 

Q: Was the Castle of Good Hope ever attacked?

A: No the Castle was never attacked. Battles against the British were fought at Muizenberg in 1795 and Blaauwberg in 1806. 

Q: Did the sea ever wash up against the Castle walls?

A: Yes. In fact during terrible storms in the 17th century, the sea would wash-up against the Castle walls where Strand Street is currently situated. This resulted the moving of the initial Castle main entrance (current entrance to Castle Military Museum) to its present location (where the bell tower is situated). In 1745 the Imhoff Battery was built and was known as the couvre-face Imhoff. The Battery was later cut-off from the Castle by the first railway line into Cape Town, and was later demolished to make room for the highway that is today known as Strand Street. 

Q: Are there ghosts at the Castle of Good Hope?

A: Various people have indicated that they have seen ghosts at the Castle and this is not uncommon. Ghosts, it is said, are likely to be found in places where their material bodies were violently torn from life, or returning to old familiar places to complete forgotten assignments. The Castle had time enough to gather a host of ghosts, and its walls and dungeons have known terrifying cruelty. These and more stories can be read in the Castle Publication ("Castle of Good Hope from 1666" by B. Johnson Barker) on sale at the Castle Military Museum. 

Q: Who and what was the "Council of Policy"? 

A: The Council of Policy was the highest authority of the VOC at the Cape of Good Hope. The Council discussed all problems that arose and took decisions on governing the settlement. The minutes, which include reports and decisions taken, are called the Resolutions of the Council of Policy. For nearly one and a half centuries the Council of Policy wrote millions of word on thousands of folio pages about matters concerning everyday life at the Cape. The Resolutions cover nearly every subject, for example administration, justice, law and order, education, religion, inhabitants, slaves, visitors, ships and their cargo, the military, health services, food, labour, trade (imports, exports and trading with the indigenous peoples), diplomatic relations, expeditions, weather conditions on and off shore, agricultural activities, livestock, nature conservation, land issues, loan-farms and fiscal and financial matters. The Resolutions are the main source of written accounts of pre-modern South Africa.

For tours and more information visit: www.castleofgoodhope.co.za