Chrissiesmeer

Chrissiesmeer
Chrissiesmeer
Coordinates	26 ° 17 ′  S , 30 ° 13 ′  E Coordinates: 26 ° 17 ′  S , 30 ° 13 ′  E
Basic data
Country	South Africa
province	Mpumalanga
District	Gert Sibande
local community	Msukaligwa
height	1736 m
Residents	4012 (2011)
founding	1860

Chrissiesmeer (English Lake Chrissie ; German about "Chrissie-See") is a city in the South African province of Mpumalanga . It is located in the municipality of Msukaligwa in the Gert Sibande district .

geography

Chrissiesmeer is located on the north shore of the lake of the same name (English: Lake Chrissie ) in the flat grassland . In 2011, 4,012 people lived here (as of 2011 census). The city has two townships in the north of the urban area.

history

The San lived here until the 19th century. They protected themselves from intruders by living on rafts on the surrounding lakes and hiding in the reeds. Their language was ‖Xegwi . Voortrekker founded the city in 1860 and named it after Christiana Pretorius, the daughter of the President of the South African Republic Marthinus Wessel Pretorius . As a result, numerous sandstone buildings were built . In 1864 the Scot Alexander McCorkindale founded the Republic of New Scotland ("Republic of New Scotland") in Chrissiesmeer and the surrounding area by purchasing around 200 farms . In the 1880s, the town was often used as a stopover on the way to the gold mines at Barberton and Delagoa Bay . With the construction of a railway line to the north, Chrissiesmeer lost its importance. On February 6, 1901, the "Battle of Chrissiesmeer" took place during the Second Boer War , in which around 2000 Boers under the leadership of General Louis Botha managed to let a large part of the horses of the approximately 12,000-strong British troops run away and so on to postpone defeat in war. During the war the city was also called Bothwell .

Economy and Transport

Tourism plays a major role. There are around 270 shallow lakes and ponds within a 20-kilometer radius. Around 20,000 flamingos breed there every year . Bird and frog watching are offered. The "Battle of Chrissiesmeer" is re-enacted every year.

Chrissiesmeer is connected by country roads with Ermelo in the southwest, Breyten in the west and Warburton or Swaziland in the east.

Web links

• Official website (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ 2011 census , accessed November 16, 2013
2. ↑ Bushmen of Chrissiesmeer at chrissiesmeer.co.za (English), accessed on February 2, 2016
3. ↑ Information on ‖Xegwi (English), accessed on April 15, 2011
4. ↑ ^{a b c d} Information about Chrissiesmeer ( Memento from December 1, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) (English)