Durban History MuseumDurban Local History Museums
Historic tugboat moored at the Port Natal Maritime Museum, Durban

Durban History Museum

Step into the layered story of KwaZulu-Natal. Across eight museums scattered throughout eThekwini, Durban's history unfolds — from a Victorian settler cottage to a working harbour tugboat.

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Photo: Darren Glanville from Acle, Norfolk, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0. Source

  • 8 museumsAcross Durban, Westville, Pinetown and Hammarsdale
  • Free entryAt seven of our eight museums
  • Open Monday to SaturdayMost museums, with weekday hours from 08:30

Our eight museums

Each museum tells a different part of the city's story. Choose one to see its exhibitions, address and opening hours.

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  • Engraving of wooded hills inland of Durban seen from the Maritzburg road, 1891

    Bergtheil Museum

    Westville's oldest building (c.1840), telling the story of Natal's German settlers.

    16 Queens Avenue, Westville

  • Engraving of the view across the Berea from Marriott Road, 1891

    Cato Manor Heritage Centre

    A record of forced removals, rebellion and a resilient multi-cultural community.

    750 Francois Road, Cato Manor

  • Engraving of a wide, tree-lined Smith Street in central Durban, 1891

    KwaMuhle Museum

    Former Native Administration offices, now examining the Durban System and its legacy.

    130 Bram Fischer Road, Durban

  • Mpumalanga Heritage Museum

    A site of memory for Hammarsdale, from political conflict to peace and democracy.

    3699 Shezi Main Road, Hammarsdale

  • Engraving of horse-drawn trams at the colonnaded Durban Town Hall, 1891

    Old Court House Museum

    Durban's oldest public building, loop-holed during the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879.

    77 Samora Machel Street, Durban

  • The Old House Museum, a single-storey Victorian house with a veranda and picket fence

    Old House Museum

    The Natal Settlers Museum, a Victorian home recreating early settler domestic life.

    31 Diakonia Street, Durban

  • The fossil skull of Australopithecus africanus known as Mrs Ples

    Pinetown Museum

    Anthropology, Zulu material culture and settler history in the Pinetown Library.

    Josiah Gumede & Crompton Road, Pinetown

  • Historic tugs moored at the Port Natal Maritime Museum on Durban harbour

    Port Natal Maritime Museum

    Moored vessels and stories from Durban's seafaring heritage on the harbour.

    Samora Machel Street, next to the BAT Centre

Gateway to KwaZulu-Natal's heritage

Durban is the gateway to KwaZulu-Natal's rich multi-cultural heritage. The collections, exhibitions and programmes at the Durban Local History Museums provide a captivating window into eThekwini's diverse history and rich cultural heritage.

Across eight museums — from a Victorian settler cottage to a working harbour tugboat — the collections trace settlement, segregation, resistance and the everyday lives of the people who built this city.

Read our historyOur collections
Engraving of West Street, Durban, in 1891, with shopfronts and a clock tower
West Street, Durban, 1891.Cathcart William Methven, public domain. Source

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Bringing a school or group?

Each museum has a dedicated contact for school and group bookings, and our venues can be hired for functions and events.

Bookings & enquiries