| Sandton (Johannesburg) | |
 | |
Location  | |
| State | South Africa |
|---|---|
| Region | Gauteng |
Sandton is a suburb of the city of Johannesburg.
To know
Sandton is the new business center of Johannesburg. Financial institutions and large companies moved their headquarters there starting in 1990 when the situation in center had become unsustainable due to the spread of crime, which exploded after the abolition of the laws of racial segregation (apartheid) and above all the prohibition imposed on black populations from frequenting areas reserved for whites.
Sandton is the wealthiest area in today Johannesburg and also the only one where to choose accommodation, given that the other city areas do not offer sufficient guarantees for personal safety. It has large tree-lined avenues overlooked by steel and crystal buildings where rows of palm trees are reflected. It is not necessarily a tourist mecca: Sandton offers few opportunities for entertainment and for your travels you will have to use a car, otherwise you will have to resign yourself to leading hotel life. The only areas where you can walk are those around the large shopping centers. In particular, Nelson Mandela square is the most suitable for relaxing.
Background
The name Sandton is an English adaptation of the Africanans word "Zandfontein" (literally: springs in the sands). The first Europeans to settle in the area were the "Voortrekkers", or the Boers who tried to escape the harassment of the English who had occupied Cape Town in 1795. A memorial to these pioneer families can be seen at the cemetery at Adrienne Street in Sandown while the ruin of the Driefontein farm owned by the Wilhelmi family in Hanover, which was destroyed during the Anglo-Boer Wars, is now inside the Field & Study Center. Sandton's municipal coat of arms bears three barrels symbolizing the three Voortrekker farms.
Before the arrival of the Boers, the area was inhabited by various indigenous groups such as the Tswana and, to a lesser extent, the Sotho.
In 1969 Sandton was established as a municipality. It was at that time an area of small businesses and with few inhabitants who led a rural lifestyle, which attracted the upper middle classes of Johannesburg. Nelson Mandela's famous Rivonia trial derives its name from the neighborhood of Sandton where the Liliesleaf farm was located where many of the anti-apartheid fighters were captured.
The construction of the huge "Sandton City" shopping center in 1972 by the real estate company Rapp & Maister led to a rise in property and land prices, marking the destiny of Sandton as an area reserved for families with high purchasing power. After the end of apartheid, the influx of wealthy families became incessant, causing prices to rise even further. The Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE Securities Exchange) moved to Sandton around 1990 followed closely by all but three banks which still have their headquarters in the old center. Large hotels like the Hilton have also moved to Sandton.
Sandton has now assumed all the economic and financial functions performed by the old center before the end of apartheid. Also in the 90s of the twentieth century, the Sandton Convention Center was inaugurated, one of the largest in the world which in 2002 hosted the summit for sustainable development organized by the United Nations.
How to orient yourself
Sandton: full screen map.- 1 Nelson Mandela Square. Sandton's heart
Neighborhoods
Sandhurst and Sandown are residential districts while Wynberg and Kramerville have a more distinctly commercial character: there are many architecture and design studios.
Bryanston is the residential neighborhood of the north.
How to get
- 2 Sandton Station. The fast trains of the Gautrain from OR Tambo international airport and direct to the city center as well as from / to Pretoria.
How to get around
What see
- 1 Liliesleaf Farm.
What to do
- 1 Montecasino, Montecasino Blvd.
Leisure complex with casino and shopping center.. 
Mon-Sun 00: 00-24: 00. - 2 RollEgoli, 296 Main Rd. Skating ring
Leisure complex with casino and shopping center.. 
Mon-Sun 00: 00-24: 00.
