Opening District Six

Cape Town, South Africa · Virtual heritage tour

District Six

Mapping the past

Explore the places, memories and
stories of District Six.

Remembering a neighbourhood

A place. A community.
A history to remember.

Welcome to Global Digital Heritage Afrika's virtual tour of District Six, located in Cape Town, South Africa. District Six is perhaps the most well-known site of apartheid forced removals. Between the 1960s and 1980s, more than 60,000 people of colour were evicted, their community dispersed, and most of the built environment demolished.

Today (in 2026), much of the area remains unbuilt, contested, and shows the scars of this demolition. This interactive exhibit documents what District Six looked like. Historical archives are integrated into 360 degree panoramic photos around the site, illustrating what was lost.

Make yourself at home

A place to explore

Drag to explore

Swipe or drag the view.

Zoom in & out

Pinch, or use your scroll wheel.

Meet the past

Tap Then & now to switch between past and present. Use the slider to fade the image.

Compare the maps

Open Map and move the slider.

Keep reading

Show story brings the panel back.

Move your phone

On mobile, tap Motion view.

District Six

Places & memories

Explore all sixteen locations from the original District Six tour.

    Across the neighbourhood

    District Six, then & now

    1968 ↔ 2024

    Avalon Cinema

    2024 aerial map of District Six
    1968 aerial map of District Six
    ↔
    19682024

    Drag to move · pinch or use + / − to zoom

    Aerial imagery from the original tour · City of Cape Town GIS. Select a marker or choose a place, then select Visit.

    Voices & memories

    Respecting the archive

    This website aims to preserve and share the history of District Six for educational purposes. We have made every reasonable effort to obtain permission for the use of images and to acknowledge their sources. If you are the copyright holder of an image, and you believe that material has been included in error or without appropriate permission, please contact us at gdhafrika@gmail.com. We will review your request and, where appropriate, remove or update the material.

    Global Digital Heritage Afrika

    Mapping the past

    District Six is one of Cape Town’s best-known sites of apartheid forced removals. Between the 1960s and 1980s, more than 60,000 people of colour were evicted, their community dispersed, and most of the built environment demolished.

    This interactive exhibit brings historical archives into present-day panoramic views, documenting places and memories of what was lost.

    This independent web tour presents all sixteen locations from the original tour. Historical text and media are drawn from the existing District Six tour.

    With acknowledgement

    Images & sources

    Original ownership and image-use conditions continue to apply. Panorama viewer: Marzipano (Apache 2.0).