Heart of Cape Town Museum Museum

Address: Groote Schuur Hospital complex, Main Road, Observatory, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

Website: http://www.heartofcapetown.co.za

Hours: Tue-Sat 9:30am-4:30pm, closed Sun & Mon

The Heart of Cape Town Museum is a medical museum located on the grounds of Groote Schuur Hospital in the Rondebosch area of Cape Town, Western Cape. It preserves the operating theatre and context of the world’s first human heart transplant performed in 1967.

The museum’s principal highlight is the original transplant operating theatre, maintained with period equipment and explanatory displays about cardiac surgery. Exhibits include artifacts, documents and audiovisual material that explain the procedure and its impact on medicine.

The museum documents the operation carried out by Dr. Christiaan Barnard on 3 December 1967 at Groote Schuur Hospital and traces developments in cardiac surgery at the hospital. It functions as both a historic site and an educational resource about transplant medicine.

Located within the Groote Schuur Hospital complex in Rondebosch, the museum is part of Cape Town’s medical heritage and is accessible from the city and surrounding suburbs.

• Historic procedure: occupies a preserved operating theatre on the grounds of Groote Schuur Hospital and interprets the 3 December 1967 heart transplant by Dr. Christiaan Barnard
• Visitor access: offers guided tours that include the original transplant theatre and related exhibits; bookings are recommended for organised visits

What to See#

• Transplant operating theatre: Preserved operating theatre where the first human heart transplant was performed, maintained with original fittings and equipment used during the 1967 operation.
• Exhibition and displays: Display area with artifacts, documents and audiovisual exhibits detailing the development of cardiac surgery at Groote Schuur Hospital and the 1967 transplant.

From central Cape Town, take the M3 or M5 toward Observatory and Groote Schuur Hospital. The museum is on the hospital grounds; parking is available, and local taxis or ride-hailing services can drop visitors at the main entrance. Nearest train station: Observatory (around 20-30 minute walk or short taxi ride).

• Book tickets in advance for a guided tour-spaces near the operating theatre and original surgical instruments are limited.
• Allow time to see the 1967 operating theatre reconstruction; audio guides and volunteers often share first-hand recollections.
• Combine the visit with the Groote Schuur Hospital grounds to understand the operating theatre's original context.