Robben Island was declared a World Heritage Site because the buildings on the island are a reminder of its sad history and because the same buildings also show the power of the human spirit, freedom and the victory of democracy over oppression. One of South Africa’s most famous sights, Robben Island is located four miles to the west of Cape Town. However, the islands potential as a convict station did not go unnoticed, and in about 1671 the Dutch began to place their convicted criminals upon it. Its lower strata consist of Malmesbury shale forming a rocky and somewhat inhospitable coastline. In fact the Dutch government sent kings, princes and religious leaders from the East Indies to Robben Island as prisoners because they did not agree with the Dutch rule in their country. The art collection primarily serves as a visual record of Its buildings, particularly those of the late 20th century such as the maximum security prison for political prisoners, witness the triumph of democracy and freedom over oppression and racism. It reads: The buildings of Robben Island bear eloquent testimony to its sombre other items. The Robben Island Political Prisoner’s General Recreation Committee records is also a collection of particular significance. heritage resources. Built by JUNGLE CORNER. Public Holidays - 08:00 to 17:00 It is located on the Island at MPLC (the old Medium B prison). Separated from the Cape mainland by a narrow channel of seawater, the island is a remote place, considered inaccessible for centuries. The island has been used as a prison since Dutch colonial times around 17th century. The place of banishment derived its name after its seals. These include recordings of interviews with ex-political prisoners, former exiles and political activists; Radio Freedom broadcasts; unique recordings of speeches and lectures; and historical papers archive. Robbeneiland, voorheen Eyland Cornelia, is 'n eiland in Tafelbaai, 12 kilometer vanaf die kus van Kaapstad, Suid-Afrika.Die eiland het 'n tipiese Karooklimaat ten spyte daarvan dat dit so naby aan Kaapstad, wat 'n Mediterreense klimaat het, geleë is. During apartheid, Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years – of which 18 years were right on this island! Robben Island may be geographically small, but it’s an incalculably large part of South Africa’s history, and a site not to be missed when you’re in the area. All Rights Reserved. The Resource Centre provides educational resources and specialised learning spaces for RIM staff, visitors, the African Programme in Museums and Heritage Studies (APMHS) students, visiting scholars, interns, youth and adult groups. A tour of the island is three and a half hours long and takes you on a journey through every aspect of what life was like on the island. F +27 (0)21 419 1057, Robben Island Museum The variety of species includes sea birds, water birds and terrestrial birds. The circular tower, designed by the Colonial Engineer, John Scott Tucker, was built in stone quarried locally, and stood 18m high. Those unfortunates were often subjected to treatment, which was unhealthy and inhumane even by the standards of that time, and conditions on the island became the subject of constant complaint from progressive clergy and medical staff. Located in Cape Town's Table Bay, Robben Island is one of South Africa's top historical attractions. Robben Island History. Robben Island was the location of a maximum security prison during apartheid rule in South Africa, and this is where Nelson Mandela was held for 18 of his 27 years of incarceration. Ostriches, Lizards, Geckos, Snakes and three species of Tortoises can also be found on the Island. sculptures that were acquired by UWC and the Mayibuye Archive Robben Island has been used as prison and a place where people were isolated, banished and exiled to for nearly 400 years. Initially this was done on a voluntary … Batolomeu Dias, the Portuguese explorer, 'discovered' the island in 1488 when he anchored his ship in Table Bay. By ferry, from the Nelson Mandela Gateway on the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. Convention’s Operational Guidelines’. donated some personal items used by them during their Robben Island is located in Table Bay, some 6km west of Bloubergstrand, and stands some 30m above sea level. Robben Island was declared as a World Heritage Site (WHS) in This collection includes organisational records of each RIM department, its publicity and educational materials, proceedings of conferences organised by RIM and copies of RIM’s publications. PO Box 51806 resistance to the apartheid system and thus all of the works V&A Waterfront Robben Island Museum Tel: +27 (0)21 409 5100 Email: info@robben-island.org.za . In addition to this it is designated a World Heritage Site and has to balance additional stringent conservation requirements in line with RIM’s mission of ensuring public access to the Island’s heritage. fabric) as well as the rich intangible heritage (memories). These camps, based on a culture of human rights and responsibilities, are designed to develop a sense of citizenship in young people. The Kramat is a shrine built in memory of Pangerau Chakra Deningrat, the Asian Prince of Madura, who died on the Island in 1754. An old map of the island. debates about, for example, stigma, human rights, Robben Island, island in Table Bay, Western Cape province, South Africa. triumph of the human spirit of freedom and of democracy over Ab 1840 wurde Robben Island dann als Krankenstation genutzt. The Island is the summit of an ancient, now submerged mountain. Best time to visit . Private Bag Robben Island This programme provides specially crafted adult heritage education programmes for audiences of diverse learning environments and backgrounds. Its name is the Dutch word for “seals,” once plentiful in the surrounding waters. Inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1999, Robben Island is known for being used as a prison, leprosarium, psychiatric hospital and military defence post. 9 km (or 5.5 miles) from Cape Town’s shores, ferries to the island depart from the V&A Waterfront, at the Nelson Mandela Gateway. These include T-shirts, stickers, badges and jewellery, among The art collection includes paintings, lithographs, etchings and Robben Island or Robbeneiland (Afrikaans) is an island in South Africa, located off Cape Town, 6.9 km west of the coast of Bloubergstrand. Some birds from the mainland such as the Crowned Cormorant and Black Crowned Night Herons breed on the Island in large colonies. Although some improvements were implemented over time, the island's lazaretto was only closed down in 1931. The flora and fauna of the Island were affected by farming practices of the past and also the introduction of extensive plantations of shrubs and exotic trees. The excursion includes a return ferry to the island, a bus tour on the island and of the prison. Its conservation therefore poses unique challenges. The images of two prominent photographers’ work represented in the collection are those of Eli Weinberg and Leon Levson. In 1961 it started being used as a prison again. The Dutch also began to use the island as a grazing station for sheep and cattle. Reductions on the ticket price are available for children under 18 years. Its name "robben" is derived from the Dutch, meaning a seal. The Island’s complex and sensitive ecosystem includes Birdlife, Natural Vegetation, Marine and Wildlife, Geology and Cultural Conservation sites. Before 1652, In place of dealings with the indigenous residents on the mainland, most visiting ships to Table Bay preferred to land on Robben Island to replenish their supplies of fresh water and meat. It dates back to the 1960’s and serves as a wonderful testimony to the creative capacity of the human spirit to survive great hardship. These contain about 30 000 negatives, 70 000 prints and 4 000 transparencies of images that document life under, and resistance to Apartheid rule from the late 1940s until 1990. In dem einstigen Gefängnis … RIM’s public heritage / education programmes aim to educate and expose people of all ages from all walks of life to elements of South Africa’s rich heritage that is embodied in Robben Island’s multi-layered history. infow@robben-island.org.za In the past, Robben Island was employed as an animal quarantine station and a leper colony. Letters from Robben Island: A Selection of Ahmed Kathrada’s Prison By Ahmad Kathrada, Robben Island and Prisoner Resistance to Apartheid By Fran Lisa Buntman, Nelson Mandela: Robben Island to Rainbow Nation By Marian Pallister, Letters From Robben Island : A Selection of Ahmed Kathrada's Prison Correspondence, 1964- 1989 by Kathrada, A. M.; Vassen, Robert, Political prisoners including Ahmed Kathrada visiting Robben Island, Ahmed Kathrada: Remembering the Anti-Apartheid Activist Jailed on Robben Island with Mandela, Memories of a political prisoner on Robben Island, 1987-1991 by Cecyl Esau, The Island: A History of Robben Island, 1488-1990 edited by Harriet Deacon, Cape Saint Francis, Lighthouse in the Eastern Cape, 'Agoada de Saldanha', Table Bay, Saldanha, Qunu, Wild Coast of Eastern Cape- Where Mandela Spent His Childhood, A Free Mind: Ahmed Kathrada’s Notebook from Robben Island By Ahmad M. Kathrada, Sahm Venter. The core of the collection came from IDAF. Robben Island has important places of commemoration that include the built fabric, routes and paths, gardens, views and vistas. The Robben Island entrance fee via a boat has been categorised into two. For adults, the normal ferry trip costs R360 while for children it costs R200. As a result it also became a major point for the exchange of mail, where letters from an outgoing ship would be left underneath an inscribed stone for collection and delivery by a home-going vessel. During apartheid many Black people were kept on Robben Island as political prisoners. Author: Atlas of Mutual Heritage. The programmes provide information of the Island that is more in-depth than the general visitor tour. It includes prison clothing, items manufactured in the prison workshop, workshop tools, prison registers, a music collection of LP records, sporting equipment and furniture. It is designed to expose adults to heritage knowledge and to assist in the national mandate of providing education and training services for ensuring life-long learning. During Mandela's time on Robben Island, a typical day looked like this: 05:30: Get up and clean up the cell. Family Day (26 December) – 08:00 to 12:00 The 1875 census indicated that Robben Island had a population of 552. Initially the island was inhabited by a variety of wild life, including birds, penguins, seals and tortoises.