| Zoo Lake | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Zoo Lake  Zoo Lake | |
| Location | Johannesburg,South Africa |
| Coordinates | 26°09′31″S28°01′43″E / 26.15861°S 28.02861°E /-26.15861; 28.02861 |
| Primary inflows | Parktown Spruit |
| Primary outflows | Parktown Spruit |
| First flooded | 1908 |
| Surface area | 9 hectares (0.090 km2)[1] |
Zoo Lake is a popular lake and public park inJohannesburg,South Africa. It is part of theHermann Eckstein Park and is opposite theJohannesburg Zoo. The Zoo Lake consists of two dams, an upper feeder dam, and a larger lower dam, both constructed in natural marshland watered by theParktown Spruit.
The land was originally part of the Braamfontein farm, and was bought by banker and mining magnateHermann Eckstein for potential exploitation of minerals.[2] When this objective failed, Eckstein laid it out as atimber plantation and named it Sachsenwald, afterOtto von Bismarck’s estate in Germany.[2] The plantation was started in 1891, and about three million trees were planted in the area. The forest became a favourite recreational spot for the wealthyRandlords and their families. About 10 years after Eckstein died, in August 1903, the Mayor of Johannesburg, W. St. John Carr, received a letter from his business partners (the firm Messrs. Wernher Beit & Co and Max Michaelis) with an offer of 200 acres of freehold ground for the Johannesburg Town Council to build the Johannesburg Zoo and the Herman Eckstein Park.[3]: 124 The gift of land included a small Zoological Collection. 20 acres of the gifted land was to be used by the Imperial Light Horse Regiment, and is now the site of theWar Museum and theRand Regiments Memorial.[3]: 650 The rest of the Sachsenwald land was developed into the present-day Johannesburg suburbs ofSaxonwold andForest Town.
An artificial lake was added to the Park in 1908. It also boasts the Coronation Fountain, a "musical fountain" and a Johannesburg heritage symbol, which was built in 1937 to commemorate thecoronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.[4] When Johannesburg celebrated its 70 birthday in 1956, as part of the city's celebrationMargot Fonteyn dancedSwan Lake with the Lake as a backdrop.
The gift of land was made under the condition that the facilities were to remain open to people of all races, which was unusual in Colonial South Africa. The multi-racial nature of the Park endured throughout theApartheid era.[5][6][7] Later Wernher, Beit and Company would donate further land for a carriage way around the park, for carriage drives or walks and they streets would become known as Upper and Lower Park Drives.[3]: 650
Zoo Lake is a popular spot for picnicking, walking dogs, jogging and canoeing. There are also small boats available for hire.[7] Zoo Lake hasducks and otherwaterfowl, which roost in an island at the centre of the lake, and feeding these birds (although officially discouraged) is a common family activity. However the water enters the Lake after passing through the grounds of the Zoo next door, and it is currently toopolluted to permit angling or swimming. Efforts are underway to implement a sustainable eco-friendly filtration system.
The Park has restaurants, and is the venue for the annual Jazz on the Lake festival, Carols by Candlelight events and the Artists under the Sun open air art exhibition.[8]
The precinct includes the Zoo Lake Bowling Club, the Zoo Lake Swimming Pool and the Zoo Lake Sports Club, and it is close to theSouth African National Museum of Military History.[7][9]
