According to the museum’s Christo Venter, unlike the pictures and information of an internet search, visiting a museum gives people the life-like experience of history. “It is a case of if you want to know more about African elephants, it is easy to get pictures on the Internet. But if you can stand next to an African elephant and size yourself against it, then it is a completely different experience,” says Venter.

The National Museum has a lot to offer the public in terms of new information, artefacts, and educational material.

“As the museum is a research space we have extensive collections, active research happening and a big educational programme running. So this is to give visitors who do not usually get access to the museum a chance to see what is happening behind the scenes on International Museum Day,” explains Venter.

“I think when every family comes they want to know where the dinosaurs are, so it is probably the most popular display. People also like the historical parts such as a reproduction of what a street would have looked like in the 1900s and the history of Mangaung,” says Venter.

Museums are also a good way to supplement what pupils learn at school as they have detailed information and objects.

“Whatever syllabus they have at school, there is a lot of information that the museum has on certain aspects. We try to fill that space for teachers by offering a range of very specific lessons. We either go out to schools or school groups visit the museum itself in our lecture rooms,” says Venter.

According to Venter, more learners have become interested in the museum. “This is great because they make up the next generation that will have interest in museums and their doings,” he explains.

“Slowly our overall visitor numbers have been increasing as well, so I do think that there is a live interest in museums,” Venter continues.

Venter does highlight a need for more specialised museums in the country. “In order to diversify information for people we could do with more of them. Bloemfontein’s fire brigade museum is the only one of its kind in South Africa and centres around fire brigade issues, objects, and developments in history,” he says.

You can visit the National Museum, Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm, and 12pm to 5pm on weekends and public holidays. There are various other museums in the Free State, North West, and Northern Cape to visit:

• Oliewenhuis Art Museum, Bloemfontein

                  Photo: The National Museum

• Anglo Boer War Museum, Bloemfontein
                    Photo: southafrica.net

• Moruleng Cultural Precinct, Pilanesberg National Park
  

                             Photo: kgatlengtourism.co.za

• Mafikeng Museum, Mafikeng
  

                              Photo: southafroca.net

• The Big Hole, Kimberley
                    Photo: tracks4africa.co.za

• Kimberley Mine Museum, Kimberley
  

Photo: southafrica.net