Cape Town Mapping Project

Castle of Good Hope

The Castle of Good Hope was built between 1666 and 1679 by the Dutch East India Company (VOC).  Construction of the building in stone was started in 1666, and it took about 30 years to complete. The stone blocks that were used were brought in from Holland, and the Castle is the oldest stone building in South Africa. It has the shape of a pentagon with five corner bulwarks with an almost 10 metre high wall made of massive boulders.  The Castle of Good Hope is the oldest surviving colonial building in South Africa and it is located on what was once the coastline of Table Bay. Today the Castle is the seat of the military in the Cape, and houses the Castle Military Museum and Iziko Museums of Cape Town.