Huguenot Memorial Museum

Huguenot Memorial Museum explores the story of French Protestants who fled religious persecution and arrived at the Cape in the late 17th century.

But one of the museum’s most unusual stories is not about the Huguenots at all.

Its main building, Saasveld House, originally stood in Cape Town. Designed by architect Louis Michel Thibault, it was dismantled in the 1960s and moved to Franschhoek, where the house was reconstructed.

Inside, the museum explores Huguenot migration, surnames, families, crafts and their influence on the region’s wine culture.

The modern interpretation also tries not to leave the valley inside a single European version of its past. The story has been widened to include Khoisan history, fynbos and the rural history of the area.

That distinction matters. The Huguenots had a major influence on Franschhoek, but the history of the valley did not begin when they arrived.

In short: 🇫🇷 French Huguenot history · 🏠 Saasveld House · 🧱 Moved from Cape Town · 🏛️ Louis Michel Thibault · 🌿 Fynbos and local history · 📍 Franschhoek