Cape Town City Hall

A grand Edwardian building of honey-coloured limestone completed in 1905, facing the Grand Parade in the centre of Cape Town. Its Italian Renaissance facade carries a clock tower modelled on London's Big Ben, and inside a fine pipe organ serves the concert hall. From its balcony Nelson Mandela addressed a vast crowd on the evening of his release from prison in February 1990. The building continues to host performances and civic events and anchors the historic parade ground where markets and gatherings still take place.