Bredasdorp

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Bredasdorp
Bredasdorp (South Africa)
Bredasdorp
Bredasdorp
Coordinates 34 ° 32 ′  S , 20 ° 3 ′  E Coordinates: 34 ° 32 ′  S , 20 ° 3 ′  E
Basic data
Country South Africa

province

Western cape
District Overberg
local community Cape Agulhas
Residents 15,524 (2011)
founding 1833
City view with the church in the middle
City view with the church in the middle

Bredasdorp is a town in Cape Agulhas Municipality , Overberg District , Western Cape Province in South Africa . The city is 16 kilometers west of Napier , 74 kilometers southeast of Caledon and 75 kilometers from Swellendam . In 2011 it had 15,524 inhabitants. On the way to the southernmost point of Africa, Cape Agulhas , 30 kilometers away , one usually comes through Bredasdorp, whose train station is also the southernmost point of the African railway network . The city is the administrative center of the region, where most of the people live from agriculture.

history

In 1833, the Dutch Reformed Church in Swellendam decided to plant a new ward to meet the needs of parishioners living in the southern areas of the ward. The location of the new church building was hotly debated. One group preferred the Langfontein farm , while the other group suggested the Klipdrift farm . No compromise could be found and so two new villages were created almost simultaneously, only 16 kilometers apart, namely Napier and Bredasdorp. The city is named after Michael van Breda, the first mayor of Cape Town .

economy

The Denel Overberg Test Range of the state arms company Denel is located near Bredasdorp . Test series of projectile ammunition, cruise missiles and rockets have been and are carried out here together with the South African military and international clients.

Attractions

  • Shipwreck Museum , with flotsam and the remains of ships run aground. It is divided into three parts:
the old rectory is furnished with flotsam from the nearby coast and there is also a collection of newspaper clippings
the Shipwreck Museum itself in a former church with cannons, china, coins, portholes, ship bells and other things
the old carriage house with works of art, scotch carts (springless two-wheeled carts), horse-drawn hearses and fire engines
The museum and rectory are South African national monuments

Events

  • The Foot of Africa Marathon is a marathon that has been run every October since around 1980.

Individual evidence

  1. 2011 census , accessed November 17, 2013
  2. Denel Overberg Test Range: Denel Overberg Test Range . on www.denelotr.co.za (English)
  3. Denel : Denel SOC Ltd PAIA Manual . on www.admin.denel.co.za (English)
  4. Cape Agulhas Regional Visitors Guide Number 11 - 2006 Edition