Few buildings in Franschhoek carry as many layers of history as the Franschhoek Inn, and fewer still can claim a former prime minister as a regular guest.

From Smithy to Hotel

The site has deep roots. It occupies what was originally Plot No. 3 of the first subdivision of La Cotte, with a carpenter named Adam Zerf taking title on 19 October 1847, making him the first recorded owner of the land. The earliest structure on the site was a single-storey smithy, built in the 1880s, a workaday building that gave little hint of what would follow.

The transformation came in the early twentieth century. On 30 July 1914, the municipality granted Herman Berkowitz permission to convert the building into a double storey, and after his death his wife carried the vision further, turning it into the Central Hotel, managed by her sons. It was during this era that the building enjoyed perhaps its most distinguished chapter. General Jan Smuts, a statesman, soldier, and twice Prime Minister of South Africa was a regular visitor, drawn in part by his friendship with the Berkowitz sons. It was Smuts who famously declared Franschhoek "the most beautifully situated town in our country".

Today

Since those early hotel days, the building has changed hands and appearance numerous times. It has been updated, renovated and reimagined by successive owners, each leaving their mark on its character. Yet through every change of name and ownership, it has remained what it has always been: a charming country hotel at the heart of one of South Africa's most celebrated villages.

The Franschhoek Inn is not a museum piece. It is a living building.  One that continues to offer rest and welcome to visitors, just as it has done since the nineteenth century. Today it is the home of the Protea Hotel Franschhoek.