The Hermannsburg Mission House Museum is situated in the picturesque hamlet of Hermannsburg, near Greytown, in the Kwa Zulu Natal Midlands. The Mission House Museum was built in 1855. It tells the fascinating story of the Hermannsburg Mission Society and its members, the German missionaries and artisans who arrived in South Africa in the 19th century. The museum also houses artefacts and information about the Zulu people as well as the Indian families who settled in the area.

Opening hours: Monday – Friday 8:00am – 15:00pm

After hours and on weekends by appointment

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History

The name Hermannsburg, originates from a city in Lower Saxony, Northern Germany. During the 1840’s, a Christian revival movement, resulted in great interest in mission work. Pastor Louis Harms trained suitable young men as missionaries. , sending them out with craftsmen to establish Mission Stations in Africa. They travelled to Africa on a sailing vessel, the Kandaze, which they had built themselves.

The first group of missionaries and artisans arrived in Durban in 1854 and established Hermannsburg on the farm Perseverance, close to Kranskop, KZN, later that year. Hermannsburg in South Africa, then became the base, where the Lutheran missionaries, stayed upon their arrival from Germany. This is where they acclimatised and learnt isiZulu before they departed for the appointed mission stations in Zululand. The artisans developed various forms of agriculture in the area and supported the development of the Mission in this way.

An interview with Mr Zola Mkumla

An interview with Mr Zola Mkumla, old scholar and current owner of Hermannsburg School. The school originated from the Hermannsburg Mission on the same grounds. The interview is conducted by Christel Andersen, also an old scholar and current curator of the Hermannsburg Mission House Museum.

Location

2 Main Street Hermannsburg, D469, off the R74 between Greytown and Kranskop