Gauteng, South Africa · ZA

Johannesburg

South Africa's largest city and the continent's economic heartbeat

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History & Heritage

From Gold Camp to Africa's Economic Capital

Johannesburg was founded in 1886 after gold was discovered on the Witwatersrand reef. The settlement grew explosively, reaching over 100,000 residents by 1896 — one of the fastest-growing cities the world had seen. The Johannesburg Stock Exchange was founded on 8 November 1887, just months after the gold strike, underlining how quickly the mining economy formalised.

Tension between Boer and British interests over the goldfields culminated in the Second Boer War; British forces occupied Johannesburg on 30 May 1900. The city became a stage for apartheid's defining events: the 1955 forced removals from Sophiatown, the 1963 police raid on Liliesleaf Farm that led to the Rivonia Trial and Nelson Mandela's life sentence, and the 16 June 1976 Soweto Uprising, a turning point that hardened international opposition to apartheid.

Since 1994 the city's formerly segregated areas have been administratively reunified. Constitution Hill — built from bricks of the demolished awaiting-trial prison — opened as South Africa's Constitutional Court and a museum complex in 2004. Johannesburg hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup final at FNB Stadium, the site of Nelson Mandela's last public appearance and later his memorial service.

Today Johannesburg is described as the richest city in Africa by GDP and private wealth, hosting the continent's largest stock exchange alongside a fast-growing arts and regeneration scene in precincts like Maboneng and Newtown.

Key Historical Places

Places of Significance

Constitution Hill

Former Old Fort and prison complex that held Gandhi, Mandela, Winnie Mandela and Robert Sobukwe; reopened in 2004 as the Constitutional Court and three prison museums.

Apartheid History Museum Constitutional Court

↑ Book a guided tour to get the full context behind the Number Four and Women's Gaol sections.

Ponte City Tower

Built in 1975, Africa's first cylindrical skyscraper, once a byword for urban decay and now fully refurbished and around 80% occupied.

Brutalist Architecture Urban Regeneration Photography

↑ Only visit the interior on an official guided tour, not independently.

Liliesleaf Farm Museum

The secret headquarters of Umkhonto we Sizwe, raided by police on 11 July 1963, leading to the Rivonia Trial; now a museum in Rivonia.

Rivonia Trial Mandela Museum

↑ Confirm current opening hours before visiting.

Apartheid Museum

Opened in November 2001 at the Gold Reef City precinct; visitors are randomly assigned a 'white' or 'non-white' entrance, mirroring racial classification.

Apartheid History Museum Must-See

↑ Set aside at least three hours — it's dense and not a quick walkthrough.

Newtown & Turbine Hall

Turbine Hall, built 1927-1934 as a steam-driven power station, now anchors Johannesburg's arts and culture precinct.

Industrial Heritage Arts Precinct

↑ Combine with a walk across the Nelson Mandela Bridge to Braamfontein's cafes.

Timeline

1886
Gold discovered on the Witwatersrand; Johannesburg founded
1887
Johannesburg Stock Exchange founded, 8 November
1900
British forces occupy Johannesburg during the Second Boer War
1955
Sophiatown forced removals begin under the Group Areas Act
1963
Liliesleaf Farm raided; Rivonia Trial begins
1976
Soweto Uprising, 16 June
2004
Constitution Hill opens as museum and Constitutional Court
2010
FIFA World Cup final played at FNB Stadium, 11 July

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