Heritage walks in Modderfontein

The Dynamite Company Museum and historic Franz Hoenig Haus in Modderfontein will be open to the public on May 20 to celebrate International Museum Day.

Also read: Modderfontein heritage on show

International Museum Day falls on Thursday, May 18.

The museum and house will be open between 9am and 1pm. Two heritage walks led by Keith Martin will take place at 9am and 11.30am on the day.

The early walk will include the historical buildings at the top of High Street and in the Moddercrest Office Park, while the 11.30am walk will be a shorter one which will not include the climb up High Street and the office park.

Those who want to take part in the walks are required to book in advance, as numbers are limited to 20 people per group.

The cost of the walks is R30 per person. Contact Keith Martin on 011 608 2864 or 082 450 4003 to book.

The International Council of Museums (ICOM) established International Museum Day in 1977.

The aim was to increase public awareness of the role of museums in the development of society, and it has been steadily gaining momentum ever since.

Robbie Vermont, membership secretary for the Modderfontein Conservation Society, said, in 2016, International Museum Day garnered record-breaking participation, with more than 35 000 museums hosting events in some 145 countries.

The Dynamite Company Museum, while chronicling the technical history of AECI as a producer of explosives and chemicals, also provides a social commentary and insight into the part played by some of the world-famous figures who helped shape the destiny of southern Africa.

“These include Alfred Nobel, Paul Kruger, Robert Baden-Powell, Cecil John Rhodes and Sir Ernest and Harry Oppenheimer. The contribution made by AECI’s polyglot workforce is included in the story told by the museum,” said Vermont.

The Heritage Walks start at the museum, which is located at No 2 Main Street in Modderfontein in one of the first two domestic houses built there back in 1895.

This house was occupied for close to 90 years before being restored in 1987 to house The Dynamite Company Museum.

The facade is almost exactly as it was when the house was built by Austrian, Italian and German artisans.

Museum hours are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 8am to 12pm.

Groups can make arrangements to visit on Thursdays by contacting Lodwick Mahasha on 011 608 2747/ 078 800 8679 or at Lodwick.Mahasha@acacia-re.co.za.