Johannesburg is South Africa's largest city. It grew out of a former settlement of gold prospectors and in less than 150 years of history it has become a modern metropolis, and at the same time a place of extraordinary political changes that affected South Africa in the 20th century.
In 1886, on the site of today's Johannesburg, there was a primitive settlement of gold prospectors. It is from this period that the common name of the city comes from: "golden place". Due to the relatively short history, there are practically no monuments here, and the center is built up with skyscrapers and skyscrapers. However, in Johannesburg you can visit many interesting museums related to the history of the country.
The post-war history of North Africa is marked by the struggle for liberation from colonial dependence, and then the rise and fall of apartheid. This system divided society into a privileged white minority, the descendants of the colonizers, and the disenfranchised community of the country's indigenous peoples. The long civil war, the imprisonment of Nelson Mandela, and then the negotiations and the end of apartheid were the most important events in the post-war history of the country. They are reminded of, among others Apartheid Museum and places such as Mandela Bridge and Constitution Hill.
An unusual place that can be visited in Johannesburg is the Cradle of Humanity, which is a complex consisting of the Sterkfontein Caves and the Maropeng visitor center. This is the place where some of the oldest traces of prehistoric man have been found on Earth. In the city, you can also visit the Sci-Bono Science Center, the Hector Pieterson Museum and Monument, the Africa Museum and the Wits Art Museum.
One of the greatest attractions of Johannesburg is the Gold Reef City theme park, located on the site of a former gold mine. The botanical garden, the Suikerbosrand nature reserve, the Modderfontein nature reserve and the Zoo Lake area are good places for walks, where you can also go boating.
