Union Buildings timeline
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The Union of South Africa is formed
Four British colonies — the Cape, Natal, the Transvaal, and the Orange River Colony — are joined into a single self-governing dominion, creating the need for a grand seat of government in Pretoria.
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The Union Buildings are completed
Sir Herbert Baker's twin-winged sandstone complex opens on Meintjieskop after roughly three years of work, becoming the administrative heart of the new state.
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The Women's March against pass laws
On 9 August some 20,000 women converge on the amphitheatre to protest apartheid pass laws; the date is now commemorated annually as National Women's Day.
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Mandela's presidential inauguration
On 10 May Nelson Mandela is sworn in on the terraces as South Africa's first democratically elected president, an image broadcast around the world.
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Mandela lies in state and his statue is unveiled
In December Mandela lies in state inside the building for three days; on 16 December, the Day of Reconciliation, a nine-metre bronze of him is unveiled in the gardens.
Historical Significance
For more than a century the Union Buildings have been the stage on which South African political life plays out. The cabinet works from its offices, visiting heads of state are received on its lawns, and citizens gather on the amphitheatre steps to celebrate, to mourn, and to protest. The most famous protest came on 9 August 1956, when roughly 20,000 women of every background marched here to deliver bundles of petitions against the apartheid pass laws that dictated where Black South Africans could live and work. Led by Lilian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Rahima Moosa, and Sophia Williams-De Bruyn, they stood in silence outside the building before breaking into a song that has echoed ever since:
Wathint' abafazi, wathint' imbokodo — you strike a woman, you strike a rock.
That march is now honoured every year as National Women's Day, a public holiday on 9 August. Four decades later the same amphitheatre hosted Mandela's 1994 inauguration, and in December 2013 tens of thousands filed past his coffin as he lay in state here before his burial. Reading the building alongside Freedom Park and the Voortrekker Monument — or the Apartheid Museum and Constitution Hill an hour south in Johannesburg — turns a scenic photo stop into a lesson in how the country has governed and remembered itself.
Architecture
- Twin wings, one nation — Herbert Baker set two identical office wings on the ridge, one conceived for each of the Union's main language groups, and tied them together with a curving semicircular colonnade meant to symbolise unity out of division
- Domed towers — a pair of tall clock towers rise above the wings, giving the long facade its distinctive silhouette against the Highveld sky
- Light sandstone — the entire 285-metre frontage is faced in local sandstone that glows honey-gold in low sun, the reason guides favour early morning and late afternoon for photographs
- The amphitheatre — a stepped open-air amphitheatre falls away below the colonnade, the natural stage where inaugurations and state occasions are held
- Terraced gardens — descending lawns, rose beds, and indigenous plantings frame the climb, with long views across Pretoria toward the Magaliesberg range on the horizon
- Statues in the grounds — an equestrian statue of Louis Botha, the first prime minister of the Union, stands near the foot of the terraces, while the nine-metre Mandela bronze presides over the lawn above
When to Visit
The gardens and amphitheatre are open daily, roughly 6 AM to 6 PM, and free to enter. The building interior is closed to the public — it is a working government complex — so a visit means the terraces, statues, and views rather than the offices inside.
- Best light — the sandstone turns golden in the first and last hour of daylight; midday sun flattens the facade and bleaches photographs
- Jacaranda season — from mid-September into November the streets approaching the hill turn purple with blossom, with October the peak; the canopy is a signature of the Jacaranda City
- Best photo spot — from the lower gardens looking up, the full facade rises behind the outstretched Mandela statue; from the upper terrace, the frame reverses to the city and the distant Magaliesberg
- Time to allow — 45 minutes to 90 minutes is enough to walk the terraces, reach the statue, and take in the views at an unhurried pace
Admission and Costs
Entry to the gardens is free, with no ticket, booking, or official ticket office involved — you simply walk in past the security gate. Costs arise only if you add a guide or fold the Union Buildings into a wider tour:
- Guided heritage walk (gardens and surrounds): about R300–600 ($16–33) per person, the best-value way to unlock the history on site
- Half-day Pretoria monuments tour: R1,000–2,000 ($55–110) private, typically pairing the Union Buildings with one other landmark
- Full-day Pretoria landmarks tour: R1,500–2,500 ($83–139) private, adding Freedom Park and the Voortrekker Monument for the fuller story
- Parking is free in the designated areas below the terraces; arrive early on weekends, when local wedding parties and photographers fill the gardens
Because there is no admission charge, the only thing to confirm before you travel is your guide's rate and whether any state event has temporarily closed the terraces.
The Case for a Guide
The Union Buildings reward context. Left to themselves, most visitors photograph the sandstone facade and the Mandela statue and move on; a knowledgeable guide turns the terraces into a walk through a century of South African history and earns the modest R300–600 fee several times over.
- Decoding the plan — why Baker split the building into two mirror-image wings, and what the colonnade between them was meant to say about a fractured young country trying to become one
- The 1994 story — standing on the exact terraces where Mandela took the oath of office, and what that morning meant for the country and the watching world
- The 1956 march — the women's protest against the pass laws, the leaders who delivered the petitions, and why 9 August is now a national holiday
- Connecting the sites — sequencing the Union Buildings with Freedom Park and the Voortrekker Monument so the three landmarks read as one coherent narrative rather than three disconnected stops
- Efficient routing — folding the gardens into a wider Pretoria day that can reach Johannesburg by Gautrain in about 35 minutes
Tips for Visitors
- Combine sites — Freedom Park sits on a neighbouring ridge and is easily reached from the Union Buildings, and the Voortrekker Monument rounds out a half-day of contrasting memorials
- Security checks — expect bag screening at the garden gates, and note that drones are not permitted anywhere on the grounds
- Photography — the gardens, facade, and Mandela statue are freely photographable, but avoid pointing cameras at security personnel or guard posts
- Wear walking shoes — the terraced gardens involve many steps and slopes, and the sandstone paths can be slick after summer rain
- Time it for the jacarandas — visiting Pretoria in October catches both the terraced flower beds and the purple canopy on the approach roads
- Extend into a Johannesburg day — the Gautrain links the two cities in about 35 minutes, making a wider Gauteng heritage circuit easy to build around the visit
Frequently Asked Questions
What months are best for visiting the Union Buildings?
October stands out as the premier month, when the terraced gardens burst with spring flowers and Pretoria's iconic jacaranda trees paint the hillside approaches in vivid purple. The dry winter months of May through August provide reliable sunshine for appreciating the Herbert Baker sandstone facade, though early mornings can be quite cold at this Highveld altitude. Summer rains from December through February bring lush greenery but frequent afternoon thunderstorms that can cut short a visit to the exposed garden terraces.
When can visitors tour the Union Buildings?
The gardens and amphitheatre are open daily, roughly 6 AM to 6 PM, and free to enter. The building interior is closed to the public because it is a working government complex housing the president's offices, so a visit means the terraces, the statues, and the sweeping views rather than the halls inside. Aim for early morning or the hour before sunset, when low light warms the sandstone and the crowds around the Mandela statue thin out.
How much does it cost to visit the Union Buildings?
Entry to the gardens is free — no ticket or booking is needed. Costs only arise if you add a guide: a guided heritage walk of the gardens and surrounds runs about R300–600 ($16–33) per person, a half-day Pretoria monuments tour R1,000–2,000 ($55–110) private, and a full-day landmarks tour that folds in Freedom Park and the Voortrekker Monument about R1,500–2,500 ($83–139) private. Parking below the terraces is free.
How do I get to the Union Buildings, and what is nearby?
The Union Buildings sit on Meintjieskop hill in the leafy Arcadia district just east of central Pretoria, an easy drive with free on-site parking. Without a car, a metered taxi or ride-hail from the city centre is simplest, as no station serves the hill directly. The buildings pair naturally with Freedom Park and the Voortrekker Monument across town, and the Gautrain links Pretoria with Johannesburg — and its Apartheid Museum and Constitution Hill — in about 35 minutes.
How much time should I budget, and are the gardens accessible?
Allow 45 minutes to 90 minutes to walk the terraces, reach the nine-metre Mandela statue, and take in the views toward the Magaliesberg. The gardens climb the hillside in a series of stepped terraces, so expect many steps and slopes; visitors with limited mobility can still enjoy the lower lawns and the statue, which are reached by gentler paths. Wear comfortable shoes and sun protection — the terraces are largely unshaded and the Highveld sun is fierce even in winter.
What should visitors know before visiting the Union Buildings?
Expect bag screening at the garden gates and note that drones are not permitted. The gardens and the Mandela statue are freely photographable, but avoid pointing cameras at security personnel or guard posts. The interior is off-limits, so plan around the grounds. Combining the visit with Freedom Park on the adjacent ridge and the Voortrekker Monument gives the fullest picture of South Africa's contested past.