The Voortrekker Monument was built in 1949 to commemorate the Voortrekkers, the Boers who during the mid 19th Century pushed northward into unknown territory. An imposing square granite structure 40 m high, stands on a base 40 m square. Steps lead up to the Hall of Heroes, with 27 reliefs depicting the Great Trek of 1838. A wall depicting ox-wagons representing the trek wagons, which the Boers drew up in a circle to form a defensive laager, surrounds the monument.