The Castle Of Good Hope, which was built between 1666 and 1679, is the oldest surviving building in South Africa. This pentagonal castle replaced the small clay and timber fort, which was built in 1652 by Commander Jan van Riebeeck. The five bastions were named on 26 April 1679 after the main titles of Willem, the Prince of Orange. The western bastion was named Leerdam followed by, in clockwise order, Buuren, Catzenellenbogen, Nassau and Orange.

However, the Castle was declared a National Monument in 1936 and as a result of an extensive ongoing restoration and conservation programme, which was launched in the 1980's, the Castle of Good Hope has remained the best preserved of it's kind, which was built by the Dutch East India Company, in regions where they had interests.

The Castle of Good Hope is now the regional headquarters of the South African Army in the Western Cape, it is also home to the Castle Military Museum and ceremonial facilities for traditional Cape Regiments as well as the famous William Fehr collection of historic artworks. This building, which is steeped in history, is a fascinating place to visit.