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Pretoria is commonly known as Jaccaranda City, because of the purple flowered bush that flurishes there! It has recently changed its name to Tshwane!
The Pretoria City Hall is the largest public hall in South Africa, was built to celebrate the city-status of Pretoria which was obtained in 1931.
An architectural competition occurred in 1826, and the winning design by FG McIntosh was chosen to be used for the Pretoria City Hall. Due to economic difficulties, construction of the City Hall only started in 1931, and the building was inaugurated in 1935. It was designed in the Semi-Italian classical style and boasts 32 tower bells, donated by George Heys, former owner of Melrose House.
The foyer of the City Hall has beautiful stone floors and is decorated with large paintings.
The massive main auditorium has a large stage and can accommodate hundreds of people. The City hall is a very popular venue for large social events and can be rented out for events such as weddings.
There are many other beautifully decorated rooms in the Pretoria City Hall, including offices and a two-storey kitchen.
The front of the City Hall is beautifully complimented by the gardens and fountains of Pretorius Square. Within these gardens stands three statues. The 6.2 metre tall bronze statue of Chief Tshwane was unveiled in 2006 and shows the namesake of the Tshwane District Municipality. The two other statues are of the Voortrekker leaders Andries Pretorius and his son Marthinus Pretorius. Marthinus founded Pretoria in 1855 and named it after his father.
