Kruger House Museum

The last house of Paul Kruger, president of South Africa, which today is a museum displaying life during the days he stayed in this house.

The Kruger House is an important landmark in Pretoria. Paul Kruger was one of the foremost leaders of the freedom struggle against the British, and the President of the South African Republic. The house has been refurbished to showcase the life and time during the period Kruger resided here, between 1884 and 1900, when he left for Europe in exile. Interestingly, the house was actually built using milk instead of water for mixing the cement, as the cement was of poor quality. Stepping inside the house is like stepping into a different time. It is laid out as it would've been all those years ago, and also several artefacts from Kruger's life are found here. The 2 stone lions at the front were a gift to Kruger from the mining giant Barney Barnato, and inside you will also find the knife with which Kruger amputated his thumb after a shooting accident. Kruger died in Switzerland in 1904, and his body was sent back to South Africa for a full state funeral. The hat he wore on his journey to Europe is on display at Amsterdam's famous Rijksmuseum.