Philippolis
| Philippolis | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|||
| Coordinates | 30 ° 15 '56 " S , 25 ° 16' 27" E | ||
| Basic data | |||
| Country | South Africa | ||
| free State | |||
| District | Xhariep | ||
| ISO 3166-2 | ZA-FS | ||
| local community | Kopanong | ||
| height | 1380 m | ||
| surface | 38.4 km² | ||
| Residents | 950 (2011) | ||
| density | 24.8 Ew. / km² | ||
| founding | 1822 or 1823 | ||
Dutch Reformed Church
|
|||
Philippolis is a place in the South African province of Free State . It is located in Kopanong Township in Xhariep District . It is the first settlement founded by Europeans in today's Free State.
geography
Philippolis has 950 inhabitants (as of 2011). The township Poding-Tse-Rolo (2698 inhabitants) is located near the village . The place is about 160 kilometers south-southwest of Bloemfontein . The Orange River flows around 20 kilometers southwest .
history
The place was founded in 1822 or 1823, making it the second oldest place founded by Europeans in southern Africa north of the Orange River, after Griekwastad . It served as a mission station for the London Missionary Society , after whose superintendent John Philip the place was named. In 1826 Griqua reached the place under Adam Kok II and settled there. They contractually promised to protect the missionaries. In 1833 three French missionaries from the Société des missions évangéliques de Paris were there , including Eugène Casalis . When they found out that the head of the Basotho , Moshoeshoe I , was looking for missionaries, they settled in his sphere of influence. In 1862 the Griqua sold their land to the Boers and moved under Adam Kok III. on to Griqualand East . The missionaries also left the place. The church of the Griqua was replaced by a new building of the Dutch Reformed Church in the same place. In 1905 the Briton Emily Hobhouse set up the first of 27 spinning and weaving workshops in Philippolis to help needy Boer women after the Second Boer War .
Economy and Transport
In addition to tourism, sheep farming and horse breeding are among the main industries.
Philippolis is on the R 717 between Colesberg and Trompsburg . To the north of the town is the Philippolis Aerodrome. The Philippolis Road station was located around 15 kilometers to the east on the Springfontein - Koffiefontein branch line . However, the railway line is out of service.
Attractions
There are numerous national monuments in Philippolis. The Transgariep Museum shows the life of the Griqua and the history of the mission station. Emily Hobhouse's spinning and weaving workshop can also be visited there. In the village are the presumed home of Adam Kok III, built in 1843, and the church building of the Dutch Reformed Church, completed in 1871. The van der Post House commemorates the writer Laurens van der Post with a memorial garden laid out in 1998.
Every April the Witblits Festival takes place, at which an alcoholic drink called Witblits (German: "White lightning") is made.
Sons and daughters of the place
- Laurens van der Post (1906–1996), South African writer
literature
- Karel Schoeman : The Griqua Captaincy of Philippolis, 1826–1861. Protea, Pretoria 2002, ISBN 1919825398 .
Web links
- Official website of the place (possibly outdated) (English)
- Private website of the place (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Historical Buildings in Philippolis (English), accessed on April 2, 2013
- ^ Philippolis , accessed July 8, 2017
- ^ Poding-Tse-Rolo , accessed July 8, 2017
- ^ Private website of the place , accessed on April 2, 2013
- ^ Official website of the place , accessed on April 2, 2013