Caledon (South Africa)
| Caledon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Coordinates | 34 ° 13 '53 " S , 19 ° 25' 27" E | ||
| Basic data | |||
| Country | South Africa | ||
| Western cape | |||
| District | Overberg | ||
| ISO 3166-2 | ZA toilet | ||
| local community | Theewaterskloof | ||
| height | 244 m | ||
| surface | 18.1 km² | ||
| Residents | 13,020 (2011) | ||
| density | 720.9 Ew. / km² | ||
| founding | 1710 | ||
 Caledon Town Hall
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Caledon is a city in the Western Cape Province of South Africa . It is the administrative seat of the municipality Theewaterskloof in the Overberg district . Caledon lies at an altitude of 244 meters above sea level at the foot of the Swartberge on the N2 road and the Eersterivier – Protem / Bredasdorp railway line . Cape Town is 120 kilometers and Botrivier is 27 kilometers away.
In 2011 Caledon had 13,020 residents.
history
The Khoikhoi had known the healing power of the springs for centuries. After the European settlers came to the Cape, the medicinal springs became increasingly popular. Modern development began in 1710, when Ferdinand Appel secured ten hectares of land and erected a building on it for visitors to the mineral springs. Little by little, the city developed around the springs. The original name Zwartebergbad was changed to Caledon in 1813, after the Count of Caledon ( Du Pré Alexander ), governor of the Cape Colony from 1807 to 1811. A local government existed from 1840, the town charter was granted on January 1st, 1884.
Attractions
- Thermal springs
- seven mineral springs at around 50 ° C that deliver around 900,000 liters of water per day
- Caledon Casino, Hotel & Spa
- The modern casino is now the main source of income for the place.
- Caledon House Museum
- a 19th century Victorian house with furniture donated by Caledon families. There is also a textile collection, housewares and an extensive collection of photos of Caledon and many of its residents. The garden shows the usual composition of native wild plants, medicinal plants as well as roses, lavender and camellias at the time.
- Caledon Wild Flower Garden and Reserve , 214 hectares, established in 1899
- with thousands of species of fynbos to be explored on a ten-kilometer hiking trail. Among other things, the rare Marsh Rose ( Orothamnus zeyherii ), a pyrophyte that is only found here and in the Kogelberg Nature Reserve, grows here . The species is very rare and its population is endangered. It is on the Red List on CITES Appendix I. The plants are relatively short-lived with a lifespan of 10–20 years and are regularly destroyed by fire. The seeds of the plants, on the other hand, are very long-lived with 20–60 years of germination; they are carried underground by ants and even need these fires to germinate.
- Holy Trinity Church from 1855
- Shaw's Pass Uitspan , ten kilometers outside
- rich fynbos vegetation on 60 hectares; there are over 20 types of plants that are on the red list, such as Erica jasminiflora .
Sons of the city
- William Henry Evered Poole (1902–1969), military officer and ambassador
- S. George Philander (* 1942), climate researcher
- Nicolaas Scholtz (* 1991), tennis player
Web links
- Caledon Xplorio Tourist Website
- Caledon at Overberginfo (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ 2011 census , accessed November 17, 2013
- ^ Overberginfo ( Memento from April 14, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
- ^ Protea Online ( Memento of September 24, 2006 in the Internet Archive )