斯泰伦博斯村庄博物馆坐落在南非第二古老的欧洲移民定居点斯泰伦博斯(Stellenbosch)镇中心。这并不是一座被围墙圈起来的单一建筑,而是一个由四个不同时代的真实宅邸组成的露天街区博物馆。游客只要购买一张大约一百兰特的成人票,就能通过这些保存完好的房子,亲眼看到从1709年到1850年间南非殖民时期生活方式的翻天覆地。相比那些堆满照片的陈列馆,这里直接把那段历史的起居室、厨房和花园搬到了你面前。
走进博物馆的第一站是舒勒德之屋(Schreuderhuis),它是南非目前有记录可查的最古老城镇住宅。这栋房子建于1709年,在当年的大火中幸存了下来。走进去你会发现那时的生活其实挺清苦,地面是用牛血混合亚麻籽油刷过的泥地,能起到防尘作用,踩上去有种硬实的质感。窗户很小且没有玻璃,屋顶则是厚实的茅草。这里几乎没有什么奢侈品,所有的家具都是用本地木材手工打制的粗糙物件,真实还原了早期探险者和磨坊主在开普地区的生存状态。
随着时间推移,第二栋房子布莱特曼之屋(Blettermanhuis)展示了十八世纪中后期的富裕。这是一座典型的开普荷兰式建筑,拥有标志性的白色山墙。比起第一栋房子,这里的空间明显大了很多,家具也开始出现昂贵的红木。到了完成于1803年的格罗夫纳之屋(Grosvenor House),两层楼的格局和精致的乔治亚风格窗户说明斯泰伦博斯已经从一个小村落变成了繁华的贸易中心。最后一栋伯格之屋(OM Berghhuis)则带你进入十九世纪中叶,壁纸和那个时期的维多利亚风格家具让整间屋子看起来更接近现代人的审美习惯。
博物馆位于里内维尔德街18号(18 Ryneveld Street),位置非常好找,就在著名的橡树大道附近。开放时间通常是周一至周六早上九点到下午五点,周日的开放时间会短一些,建议大家尽量选在上午十点左右到达。门票价格根据最新信息,成人大约需要100兰特,未成年人约40兰特,这张票可以通看所有四栋历史建筑。建议预留两个小时左右,因为每一间屋子都有很多细碎的旧物件值得慢慢看。如果你对武器感兴趣,博物馆名下的军火库(VOC Kruithuis)就在不远处的广场旁,也可以顺便走走。
这里最让人惊喜的是穿着那个时代服装的讲解员。他们不是死板地背台词,而是会像房屋主人一样坐在老式壁炉旁或在花园里修剪草药,跟你聊聊那时候的人怎么洗衣服或者怎么储存葡萄酒。说真的,一定要多问他们问题,比如花园里那些奇怪的植物有什么药用价值。另外,斯泰伦博斯古镇里的路大多是石子路或铺砖路,建议穿平底鞋。如果是自驾过来,学校周边的车位在学期中会非常紧张,建议把车停在稍微远一点的公共停车场,然后步行感受这片橡树林的阴凉。
门票价格包含所有四座宅邸的参观权限。虽然没有那种全程跟随的一对一导游,但每座房子里通常都有身着古装的专业讲解员。他们会常驻在特定的房间或花园里,随时回答关于建筑历史、家具来源以及当年生活细节的问题。
如果只是快速走一圈,大约四五十分钟就能看完建筑外观。但如果想走进每个房间仔细看那些殖民时期的瓷器、纺织品和药草花园,并与讲解员交流,通常需要花费一个半到两个小时。由于四座房子分布在同一个街区,中间还涉及少量的步行路程。
一般来说,博物馆内部是允许进行非商业用途拍照的,但在某些陈列着脆弱原件的房间,讲解员可能会提醒禁止使用闪光灯。建议在拍摄前礼貌地询问一下讲解员,尤其是如果你想拍摄讲解员本人时,他们通常都会很配合地摆出符合时代氛围的姿势。
博物馆所在的区域就是斯泰伦博斯最热闹的地段。走出博物馆大门,步行不到五分钟就能找到很多非常有名的咖啡馆和餐厅。如果你想体验当地特色,去多普街(Dorp Street)找一家老牌面包房或者坐在橡树下的露天咖啡座喝一杯本地产的白诗南葡萄酒,是非常典型的酒乡午后安排。
Hennie Basson Very interesting and well kept houses. Friendly guides telling you the story of each house. Dressed very appropriately for that time period. Only downside is that especially seniors should pay R50 entrance to view. So bringing Sassa income group there becomes a few rands which could have helped spoiling them with maybe an ice-cream treat afterwards if it was only R10 or R20. Maybe a kindhearted person would assist to to afford the entrance fee. Will definitely visit again though.
C Neon 4 beautifully renovated Dutch style houses from the 18th century. The house has some of the same period furnishings that made the houses more time appropriate. Very nice experience.
Sue Worthington A fascinating look into colonial Stellenbosch, including insight into the slave trade. Four separate houses across different periods clustered around the historic streets, each beautifully maintained and with a guide on hand (in costume, even on the 32 degree day we visited!) to talk about the original residents, aspects of Stellenbosch history as well as design and A must visit. We thoroughly enjoyed it.
Jonathan Collum This is a fantastic preservation of multiple eras of building across the history of the town from founding into the 19th century. As well as a history of the area from pre-colonial times. The buildings and gardens are carefully restored and cared for in an ongoing basis as well as presented by docents at every stop on the self guided tour. Definitely don't forget to bring some smaller currency to reward the hard work of their docents who dress to the period of their stop on the tour and are very welcome to any questions about the history. I really enjoyed my visit.
Don Perkal Very nice and sweet. A series of four refurbished homes from different eras. Each house with many pieces of old furniture and decorations. Many antique artifacts of life on display. History comes alive. Doesn't take long but worth it.