The Stone Guardian: The Castle of Good Hope

The Castle of Good Hope, the oldest existing building in South Africa, is located in Cape Town. It was built between 1666 and 1679, replacing a previous fort called the Fort de Goede Hoop, which dated back to 1652 and was made of clay and timber. This new fort was erected by the Dutch East India Company, later known as the VOC, although the Company's investment in the project was not always forthcoming.

In 1679, it was named after the main titles of William III of Orange-Nassau. During the Second Boer War, part of the Castle served as a prison, with Fritz Joubert Duquesne, later known as the man who killed Kitchener and the leader of the Duquesne Spy Ring, being held within its walls.

In 1936, the Castle was declared a historical monument. After restorations in the 1980s, it is now considered the best-preserved example of a Dutch East India Company fort.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons