Johannesburg, Jozi or Jo’burg (as it is known to South Africans) is one of the most important cities in South Africa, the true economic center. However, few people know the origins of Johannesburg. This great city was born when the explorers by 1880 Boers (descendants of Dutch settlers) found a gold vein about 400km from what is now Johannesburg. Later, around 1890 more gold veins found in what today is the current city’s financial district, from that moment, the town became a city full of miners who came out with the dream of finding gold and become rich. Its name comes from the general inspector of the area, Johannes Rissik.

Photography by ThisParticularGreg

Today, the modern city is on a brutal area excavated under his feet like a Gruyere cheese, so sometimes there are small earth movements that remind their people that are living above the mines gold.

Aspects of the city:

But in Johannesburg today can even be testimony to the harsh conditions they had to live with people of color in South Africa. Given the racial problems that had South Africa during the twentieth century, the tourist is a very strange city. People of color living in the outskirts of the town (township) that come with combi vans, and white people (mostly because people now living color) in inner-city houses some of fenced and them with electrified fences. Its inhabitants are living in so-called giant malls or shopping centers where they can buy food, clothing, appliances and can also eat and drink coffee while their car is parked in a secure private parking.

What to see in Johannesburg?

Carlton Plaza Center and Gandhi: If you’re in downtown Johannesburg, as well as banks will not see much more than Gandhi Square and the Carlton Center also known as Top of Africa, being one of the tallest towers in Africa to 2006, measuring just 223 meters tall. There are shopping centers in their ground floors and not personally got to see the sights because they are not too spectacular. About Carlton Center are starting to be popular markets where you can buy food, clothing and other things.

Soccer and rugby stadiums: After the World Cup there are many football and rugby stadium in Johannesburg all odds. You can find the legendary Ellis Park Stadium where the locals won the rugby world cup in 1995 to New Zealand in a mythical match with Nelson Mandela as a star. Very near the Ellis Park is the football stadium in Johannesburg. On the outskirts of the city towards the Soweto find the Soccer City (you can see it from the highway) was the main stadium for 2010 World Cup. Nearby, in Soweto’s Orlando Stadium is a capacity for 24,000 people, which is where they play the Orlando Pirates FC of Soweto.

The Soweto: The Soweto (South Western Townships) is one of the most famous South African townships. The townships were the places where people of color were forced to live during the Apartheid in South Africa where he lived the last four decades until 1995.
Soweto Fireplaces

Museums in Johannesburg: In Johannesburg there are several museums, although some of the most interesting are in the City of Johannesburg Soweto is starting to put statues in the city to try to recover the life on the streets of the city with street art.

Hector Pieterson Museum, Hector Pieterson Museum is a very interesting museum in Soweto, just in Orlando West, which tells the story of Hector Pieterson was killed by police in 1976 during a demonstration in Soweto. This museum opened in 2002, its price is 2.5 € and you can not take pictures inside. This museum really is worth visiting to see the status of the black population during apartheid.

Museum Africa, is one of the best museums is the history of Africa starting from Egypt, reviewing the history of all African peoples in history to the history of Nelson Mandela.

Apartheid Museum: The Apartheid Museum tells the story of the triumph of the human face of adversity overcome. Apartheid began in early 1948 when the white National Party was elected to govern South Africa and made more than 20 million inhabitants of the country’s second-class people with less opportunities and resources than other people who were not of color. The release was granted in 1994 with the election of Nelson Mandela, a political prisoner for over 25 years. This museum is quite close to OR Tambo airport in Johannesburg and the suburb of Sandton.

Photography by Erik Cleves Kristensen

Mandela House: This is the house where Nelson Mandela lived between 1946 and 1962. Is located near Hector Pieterson Museum and the house of Desmond Tutu. We do not visit because of its high price but seems to contain memories of the life of Nelson Mandela before going to prison and the Mandela family.

Nelson Mandela Bridge is one of the longest bridges of cables that exist in South Africa (285 meters). This bridge connects the Constitutional Hill Newtown, Its simplicity and the colored lights used at night make it interesting to run through it at night.

Johannesburg shopping malls: Some of the most popular malls in Jo’burg are of Standton where Nelson Mandela Square with a figure of more than five meters from Mandela in central plaza of the mall. Honestly, there is nothing to visit if you’re going to have lunch or dinner there.

Recommended Restaurants in Johannesburg:

Turn ‘n’ tender: It is the only restaurant located in a mall. It started as a small restaurant but recently opened this new facility to accommodate more guests. Its specialties are meat (deliciosas!) grilled with or without sauce. I ate a 850 gram steak Excellency (Caveman Steak). His address is Centre Parktown Quarter, Cnr 3rd & 7th Avenue, Parktown North, 2193. Reservation is required if you want to wait for dinner, so we suggest you call: 011 788 7933

Where to stay:

Ashanti Hotel: This one of the best hotel for its location in the financial hub of Johannesburg. Its location is one of the shops across the city that lets you take a walk around town without having to call a taxi (which are expensive). It is 10 minutes walk from Gandhi Square and about 30 minutes from the airport by taxi. The hotel is well equipped with kitchenette in each room, sofa, coffee table and a room with a comfortable bed.

Sandton B & B: This is a very unwise, not for its comfort but because of its location. Except for the financial center of Joburg and elsewhere in the city in any other accommodation where sleep depend on private transport or taxi (which are very expensive in Johannesburg).

Soweto B & B: This is an alternative accommodation. Today Soweto township is no longer the danger it was a few years and there are tourist areas where there is no security problems, but suggest you do not walk at night and obviously need transport to move to the city or to go anywhere.

Photography by Mister-E

Remember how good tourist rule, prepare your trip in advance and enjoy the ride!