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Museum · Clanwilliam, Western Cape
Clanwilliam Museum
Regional history museum in the old gaol of Clanwilliam on the main street, with rooms on San rock art, rooibos, handmade leather shoes and the poet C. Louis Leipoldt.
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
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About Clanwilliam Museum
The Clanwilliam Museum occupies the town’s former jail, the Ou Tronk, a stone building on the main street protected as national heritage. It is a small regional history museum and a good starting point for understanding the town and the Cederberg before heading into the mountains.
The rooms tell the region’s story from the San, the hunter-gatherers who left paintings in the Cederberg rock shelters, to the arrival of European settlers in the 19th century. There are exhibits on the Anglo-Boer War and old farm wagons and tools.
Part of the museum is dedicated to rooibos: how the Cederberg shrub came to be harvested, fermented and sold, becoming the region’s main agricultural activity. Another section covers veldskoene, the hand-stitched leather shoes made in Wupperthal and Clanwilliam.
The museum also commemorates C. Louis Leipoldt, a poet, physician and Afrikaans culinary writer who spent his childhood in Clanwilliam and is buried at Pakhuis Pass, east of town.
Before you go
Practical information
Cidade Turismo reviews its information regularly, but something may have changed. Check with the place before planning your trip.
How much time to set aside
About an hour.
Best time
Monday to Friday during the day, and Saturday mornings. The museum also opens in the afternoons on weekdays; confirm before you go.
How to get there
It’s on Clanwilliam’s main street, in the town centre, near the Dutch Reformed church. You can walk there from anywhere in the centre.
Tip
Visit the museum before going to the Sevilla Rock Art Trail or Wupperthal: the rooms on rock art and leather shoes help you understand what you’ll see afterwards.
Get your questions answered
Frequently asked questions about Clanwilliam Museum
What is in the Clanwilliam Museum?
Exhibits on San rock art, the history of rooibos, handmade leather shoes, the Anglo-Boer War and the poet C. Louis Leipoldt, as well as wagons and old tools from the region.
Where is the Clanwilliam Museum?
In the old town jail, on Clanwilliam’s main street, in the town centre.
Is the Clanwilliam Museum open every day?
It usually opens Monday to Friday during the day and Saturday mornings, and is closed on Sundays. Check before you go.