Makhanda
| Makhanda (formerly Grahamstown) | |||
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| Coordinates | 33 ° 18 ′ S , 26 ° 32 ′ E | ||
| Basic data | |||
| Country | South Africa | ||
| Eastern Cape | |||
| District | Sarah Baartman | ||
| ISO 3166-2 | ZA-EC | ||
| local community | Makana | ||
| Residents | 50,217 (2011) | ||
| founding | 1812 | ||
| Website | www.grahamstown.co.za (English) | ||
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Makhanda (until 2018 Grahamstown , Afrikaans : Grahamstad , isiXhosa : iRhini ) is a city in the municipality of Makana , Sarah Baartman district , Eastern Cape Province in the Republic of South Africa . In 2011 it had 50,217 inhabitants.
It is located around 60 kilometers off the coast of the Indian Ocean , around 140 kilometers from Port Elizabeth and 180 kilometers from East London . Makhanda is the seat of Rhodes University , one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in the country, and a High Court (German: "High Court"). In 1974 the National Arts Festival was held for the first time . The city is the seat of the Makana Local Municipality .
history
The city was founded as Grahamstown by Colonel John Graham in 1812 after the Fourth Border War and initially served as a military base to protect the British settlers against the Xhosa , who were forcibly removed as the Cape Colony expanded to the Great Fish River and later to the Great Kei River had pushed back. With the arrival of British settlers in 1820 , the place began to grow. During this time, the administrative focus was concentrated in the eastern part of the Cape Colony. In 1824 construction began on the main Anglican church, Cathedral of St. Michael and St. George , which was not completed until 1952. Grahamstown received his bishopric in 1853.
As a result, there were repeated attacks and looting by the Xhosa in the border area, and many settlers gave up their farms and moved to the city, which made Grahamstown the second largest city in the Cape Colony after Cape Town at the end of the 19th century .
Today Makhanda is a city with a university, many churches, several parks and historical buildings. Around 60 buildings are listed. Because of the almost 60 churches Makhanda is known as the "City of Saints". The wide high street forms the center of the city. The most important sights are located there or in the immediate vicinity.
Makhanda has many houses from the Victorian Historicism period and numerous historical buildings and memorials. The Rhodes University was founded in 1904 in Grahamstown.
Makhanda has developed into the festival capital of South Africa. 15 festivals are currently celebrated here every year. Particularly popular is the National Arts Festival in July, a cultural event that was held for the first time in 1974 and attracts over 200,000 theater, music and art lovers from all over the country every year.
On June 29, 2018, the city was renamed from Grahamstown to Makhanda through publication in the Government Gazette . Makhanda was a Xhosa prophet who played a role in the Fifth Frontier War . In October 2018, the renaming was confirmed by the responsible minister, Nathi Mthethwa , after all objections had been rejected.
Attractions
Albany Museum Complex
The Albany Museum was founded in 1855. It is the second oldest museum in South Africa. In addition, the museum is institutionally connected to the Rhodes University, which is also located in Makhanda, and participates in their research projects. It is financed from its own income and from the budget of the Eastern Cape Province . The provincial administration provides scholarships and training opportunities aimed at teachers and pupils, as well as students with a special interest in the museum and pupils from farm schools. A separate area is the museum's specialist library with important scientific and rare historical collections.
The Albany Museum Complex consists of several locations in the city, where the collections and exhibitions are housed in seven buildings and have a separate history of development. In detail these are:
- Drostdy Arch
The remainder of this facade is the only fragment of the former Justice of the Peace's seat and now forms the entrance to Rhodes University .
- Fort Selwyn
The small fort was built in 1836 on Gunfire Hill , above the city, as a signal station. It is named after Charles Jasper Selwyn, a member of the Cape Corps of Royal Engineers . Inside there is a small military history collection. Until September 1870, a nine o'clock gun fired the signal shot for 9:00 a.m. regional time.
- History Museum (formerly Settler Memorial Museum )
The museum documents the British settlement in the 19th century and houses an important genealogical archive. The History Museum is housed in a building that was inaugurated on September 2, 1963 by the administrator of the Cape Province. In the Contact and Conflict Gallery , evidence of the former border region (areas of influence of the Xhosa and the former colonial administration) from the period between 1812 and 1910 is presented. There is also an important art collection here.
In the immediate vicinity is the Theater Complex , which is the main venue for the National Arts Festival every year .
- Natural Museum
The Natural Science Museum deals with natural history and current natural sciences. A stegosaurus , the first dinosaur fossil to be found in South Africa, animal specimens and also archaeological finds from early human history are the focus of the exhibition. Other collection items include an Egyptian mummy and an ethnographic collection on the Xhosa culture .
The building was opened by the mayor in 1945 after the previous building was destroyed in a fire. The facade is based on the Cape Dutch style .
- Observatory Museum
The building was once the home and office of the jeweler Henry Galpin. The former goldsmith's workshop is still preserved in today's museum . One area is dedicated to William Guybon Atherstone and five other people who helped identify the first diamond found in South Africa . The exhibition also shows the development of South Africa in the 19th century, the beginnings of its diamond industry and a telescope collection . You can see the city with a camera obscura .
- Old Priest's House
This historic building is given over to the National English Literary Museum , which is a separate division of Rhodes University .
- Old Provost Prison
By order of Benjamin D'Urban , the governor of the Cape Colony , extensive fortifications with several functional areas were built here from 1835, which were later removed. The Old Provost was preserved and was built as a military prison by the Royal Engineers in 1838 .
Makana Botanical Gardens
The botanical garden was laid out on Gunfire Hill in 1850 and is located in an English park . It was long known as the Grahamstown Botanical Gardens and is maintained by Rhodes University. The park is accessible from Somerset Street up to Fort Selwyn and the Settler's Museum .
Cathedral of St. Michael and St. George
In 1824 the Church of St. George was built as the first Anglican parish church in South Africa; In 1852 it was elevated to the status of a bishop's church. Gradually, the church was expanded and received its current appearance until 1952. The church tower, which is over 53 meters high, clearly towers above the surrounding buildings, is said to be the tallest church tower in South Africa and is a landmark of the city that is visible from afar. Inside the cathedral is one of the largest organs in the country.
City Hall
The town hall behind St. Michael and St. George Cathedral was built in 1870. The town hall and the whole row of houses have Victorian- influenced facades.
Commemoration Church
The Methodist Church , built in neo-Gothic style , was completed in 1850. As a memorial church, it is intended to commemorate the border wars of the Boer settlers against the Xhosa.
JLB Smith Institute of Ichthyology
The museum houses the national fish collection, the largest such collection in the southern hemisphere. The Coelacanth , a long-forgotten forms coelacanth , plays a big part in the exhibition and is a major exhibit of the Institute.
National English Library
The National Library on Worcester Street is home to the National English Literary Museum , which was set up to promote English literature. The library houses, among other things, the private library of Sir Percy Fitzpatrick , the author of Jock of the Bushveld .
schools
- St. Andrew's College (founded 1855)
- St. Aidan's College (1862)
- Graeme College (1873)
- Diocesan School for Girls (1878)
- Kingswood College (1894)
- Victoria Girls' High Schol (1897)
- PJ Oliver (1956)
Web links
- The city Makhanda website (English)
- Website of the National Arts Festival (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ 2011 census , accessed November 22, 2013
- ↑ Grahamstown to be renamed Makhanda. businesstech.co.za from June 29, 2018, accessed June 29, 2018
- ↑ Welcome to Makhanda, formerly known as Grahamstown. news24.com of October 3, 2018 (English), accessed on December 1, 2018
- ^ A b Albany Museum: Albany Museum . at www.am.org.za (English)
- ^ Albany Museum: Fort Selwyn . at www.am.org.za (English)
- ^ Albany Museum: Albany Museum, History Building . on www.artefacts.co.za (English)
- ↑ Linda Dyani: The Albany Museum - a window into Eastern Cape Heritage . In: Grocott's Mail, on www.grocotts.co.za (English)
- ^ Fleur Way-Jones, William Martinson: Albany Museum . on www.artefacts.co.za (English)
- ^ Albany Museum: Observatory . at www.am.org.za (English)
- ^ A b Rhodes University : National English Literary Museum . at www.ru.ac.za (English)
- ^ Albany Museum: Home . at www.am.org.za (English)
- ^ Albany Museum: Provost . at www.am.org.za (English)
- ^ Makana Botanical Gardens. sa-venues.com, accessed February 8, 2020
- ^ Republic of South Africa, Department of Sports, Arts and Culture: National English Literary Museum . on www.dac.gov.za (English)