What to See in Harare - Top Sights and Attractions

Burial ground. National Heroes Acre or simply Heroes Acre is a burial ground and national monument in Harare, Zimbabwe. The 23-hectare site is situated on a ridge seven kilometres from Harare, towards Norton. Its stated purpose is to commemorate Patriotic Front guerrillas killed during the Rhodesian Bush War, and contemporary Zimbabweans whose dedication or commitment to their country justify their interment at the shrine. Persons buried here are considered heroes by the incumbent Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front regime, which has administered the country since independence at 1980. Indeed, most of the recipients of the 'hero status' were known to be Zanu-PF sympathisers.

The actual monument itself is modeled after two AK-47s lying back-to-back; the graves are meant to resemble their magazines. The monument is an early example of work of the North Korean firm Mansudae Overseas Projects. It closely mirrors the design of the Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery in Taesong-guyŏk, just outside Pyongyang, North Korea.^[5]

Botanical garden in Harare, Zimbabwe. National Botanic Garden of Zimbabwe is situated about 4 km North of Harare City Centre in the suburb of Alexandra Park. It also houses the National Herbarium of Zimbabwe. The gardens have an area of almost 7 square kilometres. It was initially established as a recreation area in 1902. In 1962 it became the National Botanic Gardens under the direction of Prof. Hiram Wild. Half of the gardens are devoted to indigenous plants from Zimbabwe's woodlands and include most of the 750 species found in the country. Other areas contain plants typical to the African continent including rare and endangered species, as well as exotics from South America, India, Australia and the Far East. It contains 90% of the different ecological habitats in found in Zimbabwe.

The name of the man who set up the Zimbabwe Botanical Garden is Hiram Wild who at the time was the head of the SRGH (Southern Rhodesian Government Herbarium). He appointed Tom Muller from Switzerland as the first curator 1961/1962. At this time the herbarium was an old building that eventually moved to new, custom built premises in the National Gardens (circa1967). By then Bob Drummond was in-charge as Dr. Wild had moved to the university as professor of Plant Taxonomy.^[8]

Sculptor in Harare, Zimbabwe. The Chapungu Sculpture Park is a sculpture park in Msasa, Harare, Zimbabwe, which displays the work of Zimbabwean stone sculptors. It was founded in 1970 by Roy Guthrie, who was instrumental in promoting the work of its sculptors worldwide. One way this was done was by exhibiting the sculptures in Botanical Gardens in a touring exhibition called "Chapungu: Custom and Legend — A Culture in Stone". The places visited include:

• (1999) Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Cape Town, South Africa
• (2000) Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, London, United Kingdom,
• (2001) Missouri Botanical Garden, St Louis, USA
• (2001) Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park, Superior, USA
• (2002) Red Butte Garden and Arboretum, Salt Lake City, USA
• (2003) Garfield Park Conservatory, Chicago, USA
• (2003) Chicago Botanic Garden, Chicago USA
• (2004) Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver, USA

Public university in Harare, Zimbabwe. The University of Zimbabwe is a public university in Harare, Zimbabwe. It opened in 1952 as the University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, and was initially affiliated with the University of London. It was later renamed the University of Rhodesia, and adopted its present name upon Zimbabwe's independence in 1980. UZ is the oldest and best ranked university in Zimbabwe.

The university has nine faculties and one college (with faculties of Agriculture, Arts, Commerce, Education, Engineering, Law, Science, Social Studies, Veterinary Sciences and the College of Health Sciences) offering a wide variety of degree programmes and many specialist research centres and institutes. The university is accredited through the National Council for Higher Education, under the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education. English is the language of instruction. Although once a very successful university, UZ has been facing challenges since 2008 and now the university is on a rebounding drive. Major work is being done to uplift the status of the university. Refurbishments are being carried out on the main campus and many facilities are being upgraded to make the university an International Academic Brand. The university has faced criticism for awarding fraudulent degrees to members of the Mugabe regime, especially Grace Mugabe.^[10]