Greenmarket Square
Encyclopedia
Greenmarket Square is a historical square in the centre of old Cape Town
, South Africa
.
The square was built in 1696, when a burgher watch house was erected here. In 1761, the watch house was demolished and the Old Town House built in the site. This building functioned as the city hall
for a while.
Over the years, the square has served as a slave market, a vegetable market, a parking lot and more recently, an informal flea market
trading mainly African souvenir
s, crafts and curios.
During the apartheid era, Greenmarket Square was often the focus of political protests, due in part to its proximity to parliament, as well as the ethnicity of its traders and shoppers.
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
The square was built in 1696, when a burgher watch house was erected here. In 1761, the watch house was demolished and the Old Town House built in the site. This building functioned as the city hall
City hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall or a municipal building or civic centre, is the chief administrative building of a city...
for a while.
Over the years, the square has served as a slave market, a vegetable market, a parking lot and more recently, an informal flea market
Flea market
A flea market or swap meet is a type of bazaar where inexpensive or secondhand goods are sold or bartered. It may be indoors, such as in a warehouse or school gymnasium; or it may be outdoors, such as in a field or under a tent...
trading mainly African souvenir
Souvenir
A souvenir , memento, keepsake or token of remembrance is an object a person acquires for the memories the owner associates with it. The term souvenir brings to mind the mass-produced kitsch that is the main commodity of souvenir and gift shops in many tourist traps around the world...
s, crafts and curios.
During the apartheid era, Greenmarket Square was often the focus of political protests, due in part to its proximity to parliament, as well as the ethnicity of its traders and shoppers.