First Raadsaal

The First Raadsaal Museum, the oldest standing structure in Bloemfontein, is a historic gem. Built in 1849 as a school, it later served as a church, Legislative Council venue, and Assembly Hall. The National Museum, founded here, occupied the building until 1915. Over the years, it had various uses, from a church to storage for locust poison. In 1977, the restored First Raadsaal Museum, featuring impressive architecture with Ionian columns, a domed tower, and the Free State coat of arms, opened to the public.