Maritime Museum


This is the entrance to the Maritime Museum inside the Dias Museum Complex.

The building as originally erected in 1901 to serve as a grain and sawmill. It was re-designed in the 1980's to serve as a Maritime Museum.

A life-sized replica of Bartolomeu Dias’s caravel is on display together with all aspects of the maritime history of the early Portuguese, Dutch and English navigators.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Searle's Manor

Image
Searle's Manor was built in 1902 and was used as a warehouse by Searle's & Co of Great Brak River and later by other traders. The raised stoep was used as loading platform. It was restored in 2005/2006 into apartments and offices.
Read more

Dias Caravel

Image
One of the main attractions in the Maritime Museum in the Dias Museum Complex is the Dias Caravel.  This ship is a replica of the ship Bartolomeu Dias used when he sailed into Mossel Bay in 1488. The caravel was built in Portugal in 1987 and was sailed to South Africa in 1988 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Dias' voyage.
Read more

Bartolomeu Dias

Image
This is the statue of Bartolomeu Dias in the Dias Museum Complex. Dias was a Portuguese nobleman and explorer.  He was the first European to sail around the southern tip of Africa in 1488. On 10 October 1487 King John II of Portugal appointed Dias to sail around Africa to find a trade route to India but also to look for the mythical Prester John.  Read more about Prester John on my other blog .
Read more