Statue of Jan van Riebeeck

The Jan van Riebeeck statue stands on Heerengracht Street in central Cape Town, facing Table Mountain with the ocean at its back. The bronze sculpture depicts a figure in historical dress positioned at this busy public location.

The sculpture was created in 1899 by Scottish artist John Tweed, commissioned by Cecil Rhodes. It honors a Dutch colonial administrator whose role in establishing European settlement at the Cape shaped the region's early history.

The statue represents the Dutch colonial period at the Cape and is viewed today as a contested symbol of European settlement in the region. It stands in a central location where visitors often pause to reflect on the complex history it embodies.

The statue is located near the Iziko South African National Gallery and other historical monuments in the central district. The site is easily accessible on foot and sits along a route with other cultural destinations visitors can explore.

The statue contains a historical costume error: the knee breeches shown became fashionable only after Van Riebeeck departed for Java. This mistake reveals how the artist took liberties with historical accuracy when depicting the colonial figure.