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This is undoubtedly one of the most pleasant Wineland villages, but the reality is that most of the attractions here have been created to serve the tourist industry. The outlying wine estates all have their individual appeal, but the village itself is mostly restaurants and touristy shops. However, many of the restaurants are very good – a visit to Franschhoek should always include a good meal.
Franschhoek is 71 km from Cape Town (via N1). There is no public transport from Cape Town to Franschhoek. Franschhoek is 26 km from Paarl.
Huguenot Memorial Museum and Monument collection
Lambrecht St. Mon-Fri 0900-1700, Sat 0900-1300, 1400-1700, Sun 1400-1700. Small fee.
This museum is housed in two buildings either side of Lambrecht Street. The main building, to the left of the Huguenot Monument, is modelled on a house designed by the French architect, Louis Michel Thibault, built in 1791 at Kloof Street, Cape Town. The displays inside trace the history of the Huguenots in South Africa and their way of life. There are some fine collections of furniture, silverware and family Bibles, but little to hold one’s attention for very long. One of the roles of the museum today is to maintain an up-to-date register of families and their children, so that future generations will be able to trace their ancestors.
Next door to the museum is the unattractive Huguenot Monument, a highly symbolic memorial built to mark 250 years since the first Huguenots settled in the Cape. It is set in a peaceful rose garden with the rugged Franschhoek Mountains as a backdrop. The architect was JC Jongens and the central female figure is the work of C Steynberg. The three arches represent the Trinity, and the golden sun and cross on top are the Sun of Righteousness and the Cross of Christian Faith. In front of the arches is a statue of a woman with a Bible in her right hand and a broken chain in her left, symbolizing freedom from religious oppression. If you look closely at the globe you can see several objects carved into the southern tip of Africa: a Bible, harp, spinning wheel and a sheaf of corn and the vine. These represent different aspects of the Huguenots’ life, respectively their faith, their art and culture, their industry and their agriculture. The final piece of the memorial, the curved colonnade, represents tranquillity and spiritual peace after the problems they had faced in France.
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