Gandhi Square on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Gandhi Square (formerly Van Der Bijl Square and Government Square) is a
In 1900 on what was then called Government Square near the Court House, on 31 May Field Marshal Roberts accepted the surrender of the city from Z.A.R. Commandant, Dr. F.E.T. Krause. Judge Krause had been put in command of the city and had earlier prevented the dynamiting of the goldmines. The British allowed them a day to evacuate Johannesburg provided they did not set off the mines.Blue plaque illustrated
The square is just off Rissik Street and it was a corner of Rissik and Anderson that
Gandhi Square (formerly Van Der Bijl Square and Government Square) is a plaza
A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...
located in the Central Business District of Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Dem ...
, South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
. It is named after the political activist and pacifist, Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...
.
History
In 1900 on what was then called Government Square near the Court House, on 31 May Field Marshal Roberts accepted the surrender of the city from Z.A.R. Commandant, Dr. F.E.T. Krause. Judge Krause had been put in command of the city and had earlier prevented the dynamiting of the goldmines. The British allowed them a day to evacuate Johannesburg provided they did not set off the mines.Blue plaque illustrated
The square is just off Rissik Street and it was a corner of Rissik and Anderson that Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...
once had his legal offices. A statue of Gandhi was erected in the square in October 2003.
Before it was named Gandhi Square, Van Der Bijl square was falling apart. It was in the centre of one of Johannesburg's most destitute neighbourhoods. Then, in the early 1990s, Gerald Olitzki, a property developer, approached the government with the project. Although initially denied, the project was eventually undertaken with the support of the government, and was finished in 2002, at a cost of approximately R2 million. The local bus terminal has also been renovated, as there is now 24-hour security, and many of the shops along the square have returned.
References
{{coord, 26, 12, 24, S, 28, 02, 35, E, region:ZA_source:kolossus-eswiki, display=title Buildings and structures in Johannesburg Squares in South Africa Heritage Buildings in Johannesburg