View source for Ditsong National Museum of Natural History

{{Short description|Natural history museum in Pretoria, South Africa}}
{{Use South African English|date = June 2023}}
{{Infobox museum
| name                = Ditsong National Museum of Natural History
| native_name         = Transvaal Museum
| native_name_lang    = 
| image               = 9 2 258 0100-Transvaal Museum - Pretoria-s.jpg
| imagesize           = 
| caption             = Facade of the museum building
| alt                 = 
| map_type            =
| map_relief          = 
| map_size            =
| map_caption         = 
| map_dot_label       =
| coordinates         = {{coord|-25.75325|28.18899|display=inline}}
| established         = {{Start date and age|1892|12|1}}
| dissolved           = <!-- {{End date|YYYY|MM|DD|df=y}} -->
| location            = [[Pretoria]], [[Gauteng]], {{RSA}}
| type                = Natural history
| accreditation       = 
| key_holdings        = 
| collections         = 
| collection_size     = 
| visitors            = 
| founder             = [[J. W. B. Gunning]]
| director            = 
| president           = 
| curator             = 
| owner               =
| publictransit       = [[A Re Yeng]] Bus route F5
| car_park            = 
| parking             =
| network             = Ditsong Museums of South Africa
| website             = http://www.ditsong.org.za/
}}

The '''Ditsong National Museum of Natural History''', formerly the '''Transvaal Museum''', is a [[natural history museum]] situated in [[Pretoria]], [[South Africa]]. It is located on [[Paul Kruger]] Street, between Visagie and Minnaar Streets, opposite the [[Pretoria City Hall]]. The museum was established in 1895 by the former [[South African Republic]], also known as the Transvaal. In 2010 it was one of the founding museums of [[Ditsong Museums of South Africa]].

==Collections==
The museum curates large collections of [[Plio-Pleistocene]] fossils, including hominids from [[Sterkfontein]], [[Swartkrans]] and [[Kromdraai Conservancy|Kromdraai]] in the [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]]; the [[Cradle of Humankind]], as well as [[lopingian|late Permian]] therapsids (proto-mammals from the Karoo). The most complete skull of an ''Australopithecus africanus'' specimen, [[Mrs Ples]], is on display in the museum. In addition, the Transvaal museum houses extensive collections of mammals, birds, reptiles, and invertebrates.

==History==
[[File:Transvaal Museum00.jpg|thumb|Staff of the Transvaal Museum in March 1909]]

It was founded as the ''Staatsmuseum'' ([[Afrikaans]] for "State Museum") of the [[South African Republic|ZAR]] on 1 December 1892, and [[J. W. B. Gunning]] was appointed as its first director. For the first two years after it was founded, the museum was located in the [[Ou Raadsaal]] parliament building.<ref>{{Cite thesis |last=Niebuhr |first=Ingrid |title=Healing Activities Centre |date=2007 |access-date=2010-08-21 |publisher=University of Pretoria |chapter-url=http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-07312008-162932/unrestricted/02context-analysis.pdf |chapter=Context Analysis |hdl=2263/26895 |hdl-access=free |archive-date=2012-03-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306225209/http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-07312008-162932/unrestricted/02context-analysis.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

The Transvaal Museum was amalgamated with the Pretoria-based National Cultural History Museum (also called the [[African Window]]) and the [[South African National Museum of Military History]] (situated in [[Johannesburg]]) on 1 April 1999 to form the Northern Flagship Institution. The NFI was officially renamed Ditsong Museums of South Africa in April 2010. The Transvaal Museum was renamed Ditsong National Museum of Natural History on the same date. Ditsong is managed by a chief executive officer and a board, which replaced the three separate previous museum boards.

[[file:Australopithecus africanus (Plesianthropus transvaalensis holotype).jpg|thumb|left|''Australopithecus africanus'' (Sts 60).]]

==References==
{{Portal|South Africa}}
{{commons category|Transvaal Museum of Natural History}}
<references/>

==External links==
*[http://www.ditsong.org.za/ Official website]
*[http://visitpretoria.co.za/What-to-Do/transvaal-museum 360 degree Virtual Tour of the Transvaal Museum] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180917151820/http://visitpretoria.co.za/What-to-Do/transvaal-museum |date=2018-09-17 }}

{{Ditsong Museums navbox}}
{{Pretoria}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Natural history museums in South Africa]]
[[Category:Museums in Pretoria]]
[[Category:History of Pretoria]]
[[Category:Museums established in 1892]]
[[Category:1892 establishments in the South African Republic]]