# Leeuwenhof

- **Country:** South Africa
- **Coordinates:** -33.938000, 18.406000
- **Year Built:** 1788
- **Location Text:** Gardens

Leeuwenhof is a historic estate located in the Gardens suburb of Cape Town, South Africa, serving as the official residence of the Premier of the Western Cape. While the exact construction date of the original farmhouse remains uncertain, the property dates back to the era of the Dutch East India Company. The land was first granted in 1693 to businessman Guillaume Heems by Governor Simon van der Stel. The current mansion was constructed between 1764 and 1788 by Johan Bräsler, a Copenhagen native who developed the grounds with native trees and orchards. The site was officially declared a national heritage site on December 15, 1966, recognizing its deep historical roots within the region.

The estate boasts a rich lineage of ownership involving fifteen prosperous proprietors before its acquisition by the provincial government. Notable residents include Captain Johannes Zorn, who significantly expanded the farm to 79 hectares and operated extensive vineyards using enslaved labor during the early nineteenth century. Later, it was home to Sir Christoffel Brand, the first Speaker of the Parliament of the Cape of Good Hope, and Petrus Kotzé, a former Mayor of Cape Town. It was during the Kotzé family's tenure that urban sprawl began to encroach upon the property, leading to the expropriation of its fountain by the City of Cape Town for municipal water supply.

Today, Leeuwenhof stands as a significant cultural landmark that balances its function as a government residence with public historical education. A key feature of the modern estate is its renovated Slave Quarters, which now house an exhibition dedicated to the history of slavery in Cape Town. This addition ensures that the site not only preserves the architectural legacy of the colonial era but also actively engages visitors with the complex social history of the region. Despite the loss of much of its original agricultural land to city development, the mansion remains a preserved testament to Cape Town's evolution from a rural farming district to a major urban center.

![Photo of Leeuwenhof](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/9_2_018_0127_001-Leeuwenhof-The_Cape-s.jpg)

**Source:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leeuwenhof (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)