Burgerhuis - Stellenbosch

- May 29, 2026

Aka: Het Burgerhuis

Built: 1797

Locality: Cnr Alexander St and Blom Rd, Stellenbosch.

East facade. Image source: Archistori

Het Burgerhuis is one of the oldest houses in Stellenbosch. Fick came into possession of the land in 1796 and built Het Burgerhuis there as early as the following year. Fick passed away in 1808, as a result of which Van der Riet, the landdrost (magistrate) of Stellenbosch, became the new owner. Under Van der Riet, a major expansion took place to the south, which was also called the Van der Riet House.

In 1839, the property was transferred to the Rhenish missionary Lückhoff. Consequently, the building served for a time as a Rhenish parsonage. When the Rhenish parsonage moved away, the building was divided around 1879 and occupied by multiple families.

"Round the Braak are old buildings that have escaped all the fires... This gabled Burgerhuis bears the date 1797, and it was occupied by coloured families until it was declared an historic monument fairly recently. It is a perfect example of the old Cape-Dutch architecture, built in the H-shape. For many years it stood empty owing to a ghost legend. A slave girl was murdered there by her master. Under a full-moon the victim returns to the scene and walks below the old vine on the stoep."²

Die Braak is the historic town square and cultural heart of Stellenbosch. The name translates as "the fallow land," referencing the era when this massive central plot was deliberately left uncultivated amidst the expanding agricultural town. At some stage ostriches grazed the land. Protected as a proclaimed national monument since 1936, Die Braak has a rich history and is bordered by architectural treasures.

The building came into government hands in 1957 and was restored in 1959. Unfortunately, the Van der Riet House was demolished during this process.

Since 1961, the building has been protected as a monument. Today, it houses the office of Historical Homes of South Africa Limited and a collection of the Rembrandt Group.

Het Burgerhuis has an H-shaped floor plan and is an example of the Cape Dutch style, with baroque gables. Like the Koetsierhuis, the building consists of a single storey with a thatched roof. All gable surfaces are clearly designed symmetrically. In the front facade, the entrance door is centrally located, flanked by two pilasters and crowned with an architrave. To the left and right are a single and a double window respectively, which can be closed with window shutters. Above the entrance, a richly decorated dormer gable is crowned with a triangular pediment. The rear facade is designed quite similarly but is less detailed and less elaborate. The side or end gables also bear witness to the Cape Dutch architectural style but have been kept extremely simple.

It currently serves as a museum.