University of Pretoria Library Services

Special Collections is a self-contained unit in the University of Pretoria Library Services. The mission of the Special Collections unit is to play a stewardship role in the preservation and proper archiving of its information resources and to ensure their optimal accessibility to the research community. The unit houses the following collections:

The Old Merensky Library (Afrikaans: Ou Merensky-biblioteek) on the Hatfield campus of the University of Pretoria is home to the Edoardo Villa Museum.

The Old Arts Building, on the main campus of the University of Pretoria, was one of the first structures built there. The building is located on the eastern side of an open courtyard facing the University of Pretoria Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Information Technology on the western side of same. The official city architect working for the Department of Public Works drew up the plans for the building. On August 3, 1910, Governor General of South Africa Herbert Gladstone, 1st Viscount Gladstone laid the cornerstone for a structure designed by John Johnstone Kirkness, and in 1911, the university moved to its current location. Local sandstone was used on the building, featuring a style reminiscent of French Renaissance architecture. A distinctive bell tower and stained-glass windows with the coat of arms of the Transvaal University College (T.U.K.) are among the elements here. The building houses the Mapungubwe Collection in the northern wing of the upper floor, where 166,000 artifacts from the Kingdom of Mapungubwe Mapungubwe excavation are exhibited. In the southern wing of the upper floor lies the Van Tilburg Collection, focusing mainly on South African antiquities and featuring the largest collection of Asian ceramics in the southern hemisphere. A collection of bronze sculptures by Anton van Wouw were also scheduled for exhibition in the central tower section of the Building.

Kya Rosa is a beautifully decorated late-Victorian house at the main entrance to the University of Pretoria in Pretoria, South Africa. The original building was constructed in Skinner Street in 1895 and belonged to Leo Weinthal, owner of The Press. It was named after his wife, Rosa. The word ‘Kya’ is the Zulu word for ‘house’. Kya Rosa later became the first home of the then Transvaal University College (TUC) – the predecessor of the University of Pretoria – but by 1915 it was no longer in use. In 1980, the University commissioned the construction of a replica of the house where it stands today – at the Roper Street entrance to the University. Work began in 1983, under the guidance of architect Albrecht Holm, an alumnus of the University of Pretoria. Precise measurements were taken from the original building and old photographs were used as reference to ensure that the reconstructed building closely resembles the original house. Many of the original Victorian fittings were used in the reconstruction. Today, Kya Rosa houses the Office for Alumni Relations and incorporates a small conference and entertainment centre. The house was officially opened by Dr Anton Rupert on 25 October 1985.

The University of Pretoria (Afrikaans: Universiteit van Pretoria, Northern Sotho: Yunibesithi ya Pretoria) is a multi-campus public research university in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa. The university was established in 1908 as the Pretoria campus of the Johannesburg-based Transvaal University College and is the fourth South African institution in continuous operation to be awarded university status. The university has grown from the original 32 students in a single late Victorian house to approximately 53,000 in 2019. The University was built on 7 suburban campuses on 1,190 hectares (2,900 acres).The University is organised into nine faculties and a business school. Established in 1920, the University of Pretoria Faculty of Veterinary Science is the second oldest veterinary school in Africa and the only veterinary school in South Africa. In 1949, the university launched the first MBA programme outside North America and the university's Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) has consistently been ranked the top business school in Africa for executive education, as well as being placed in the top 50 in the world. In 2012, the Financial Times ranked the GIBS Executive MBA 1st in Africa and 60th in the world.Since 1997, the university has produced more research outputs every year than any other institution of higher learning in South Africa, as measured by the Department of Education's accreditation benchmark. In 2008, the university awarded 15.8% of all masters and doctorate degrees in South Africa, the highest percentage in the country. The DHET report, released in March 2019, shows that UP achieved the highest percentage (10,93%) of the total research output units of all South African universities for 2017. Fifty-three UP researchers are in the top 1% according to the Web of Science Index of 2019.The university is commonly referred to as UP, Tuks, or Tukkies and in post-nominals the university is typically abbreviated as Pret or UP, although Pretoria is also used in official publications.

The Manie van der Schijff Botanical Garden was formally established in 1934 and is managed by the University of Pretoria. Although the garden was originally established to support research and the conservation of indigenous plants, the garden is open to the public.

The Algerian ambassador in Pretoria is the official representative of the Government in Algiers to the Government of South Africa.

Loftus Versfeld Stadium is a rugby union and Association football (soccer) stadium situated in the Arcadia suburb of the city of Pretoria in the Gauteng province of South Africa. The stadium has a capacity of 51,762 for rugby union and it is occasionally used for football matches. The stadium is the home ground of the Bulls franchise of the United Rugby Championship and the Blue Bulls union in South Africa's Currie Cup. It also hosted the 2009 Super 14 Final which the Bulls won 61–17 against the Waikato Chiefs, and the 2009 Currie Cup final, which the Bulls went on to win 36–24 against the Free State Cheetahs. Also, the South Africa national rugby union team has played several test matches at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium. They played New Zealand in 1970, 1996, 1999, 2003 and 2006, Australia in 1967, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2010 and 2012, England in 1994, 2000 and 2007, and Ireland in 1998. In June 2010, the stadium hosted opening round games and one game of the round of 16 of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Pretoria (Indonesian: Kedutaan Besar Republik Indonesia di Pretoria) is the diplomatic mission of the Republic of Indonesia to the Republic of South Africa and concurrently accredited to the Republic of Botswana, the Kingdom of Eswatini, and the Kingdom of Lesotho. The embassy is located at 949 Francis Baard Street (formerly named Schoeman Street) in the suburb of Arcadia, Pretoria. Indonesia also has a consulate general in Cape Town and an honorary consulate in Mbabane, Eswatini.The first Indonesian ambassador to South Africa was Rahadi Iskandar (1995–1998). The current ambassador, Salman Al Farisi, was appointed by President Joko Widodo on 2 May 2018.

Pretoria Boys High School is a semi-private, tuition charging, English medium high school for boys situated in the suburb of Brooklyn in Pretoria in the Gauteng province of South Africa, founded in 1901 by Alfred Milner, 1st Viscount Milner. The school enrols over 1,500 pupils, including 300 boarders, from South Africa and beyond, managed by about 100 full-time staff. Its neoclassical red-brick style main school buildings date from 1909, maintaining provincial heritage site status. A new media centre, library and music centre was completed in 2016. The school grounds also include a second campus, 'Pollock Campus', as well as sporting and recreational facilities. Three boarding houses are located on the school grounds: Rissik House and Solomon House are part of the original school complex completed in 1909, while School House was built later. Its sister school is Pretoria High School for Girls, founded in 1902.

Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (also known as Affies), is a public Afrikaans medium high school for boys situated in the suburb of Elandspoort in Pretoria in the Gauteng province of South Africa. The school was founded in 1920 by Jan Joubert and reverend Chris Neethling together with its sister school Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool Pretoria.

The Embassy of Sweden in Pretoria is Sweden's diplomatic mission in South Africa. The Swedish embassy in South Africa represents the Swedish government in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Lesotho. The embassy is located in the suburb of Hatfield in the capital of Pretoria. The ambassador since 2020 is Håkan Juholt.