A short distance east of the city and one of Pretoria’s most sought after suburbs, the jacaranda-lined streets of Brooklyn are filled with large stately homes and fine schools, bordering the University of Pretoria to the north and the Pretoria Country Club in the south.
Apart from the academic institutions, Brooklyn enjoys quality amenities set in parklike surroundings. Many of the homes here are occupied by foreign embassies and with the university and Law Society nearby, is the preferred residence for members of the legal fraternity and academics, as well as for students seeking high end accommodation.
Top 8 reasons to visit Brooklyn
1. The Brooklyn Mall and Design Square precinct is the most happening place in Pretoria. The exclusive designer outlets, large retail stores, cinemas and open air restaurants makes for an excellent outing.
2. Magnolia Dell, a beautiful park with willow trees shading a stream and large grassed area around a dam, is the venue for open air art exhibitions held here on the last Saturday of every month.
3. Take a walk through the van Wouw Museum in the university grounds to view the paintings and bronze sculptures created by Anton van Wouw, a Dutch artist who lived in the house (now the museum) and created brilliant sculpted works of local subjects.
4. Also at the university is the Mapungubwe Museum that holds a collection of valuable artefacts recovered from Mapungubwe, a 13th century Iron Age site north of Pretoria. The prized golden rhino is housed here.
5. Visit the Capital Craft Beer Academy (no, it’s not a training institution) to try the 17 varieties of beer on tap, complemented with good food. In June, the CCBA hosts a beer festival where the guys take over the Voortrekker Monument to introduce the micro-brewing craft to the public.
6. Loftus Versfeld Stadium is the home of the Blue Bulls, one of the country’s top rugby teams and staunchly supported by Pretoria residents. Ask your host to arrange tickets to a game and get caught up in the hype. Make sure to wear something blue.
7. When visiting Pretoria, a tour of the Union Buildings is mandatory. This landmark has fantastic formal terraced gardens and the location was well chosen all those years ago for this vast sandstone building to overlook the entire city. The Union Buildings are the home of government ministerial offices.
8. The Groenkloof Nature Reserve has trails for all forms of transport: walking paths, mountain bike tracks, sand roads for standard vehicles, horseback trails and challenging 4x4 vehicle routes. The reserve has several buck species, zebra, giraffe and birdlife, and grassed picnic sites.
Transport
The nearest airport is OR Tambo International Airport, 45km from Brooklyn. Catch the Gautrain, a fast train service that travels between the OR Tambo Airport and the Hatfield business district, a few kilometres north of Brooklyn. Car rental agencies are located at the airport and throughout Pretoria city or book a vehicle online. Metered taxi companies are based in and around Brooklyn. If you have the Uber app, order a ride via your mobile phone.
Did you know?
Pretoria has a large diplomatic community and is second only to Washington DC with most diplomatic missions. The city has 143 embassies based here at last count, with 17 located in Brooklyn.
The city has more than 80000 jacaranda trees, thus the nickname ‘Jacaranda City’. The jacaranda, with its striking purple flowers, is originally from the Americas and thrives in the Highveld conditions. Legend amongst Pretoria students is that if a Jacaranda flower were to fall on your head, you will pass your exams.
