Pilgrim's Rest (South Africa)

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Pilgrim's rest
Pilgrim's Rest (South Africa)
Pilgrim's rest
Pilgrim's rest
Coordinates 24 ° 54 ′  S , 30 ° 45 ′  E Coordinates: 24 ° 54 ′  S , 30 ° 45 ′  E
Basic data
Country South Africa

province

Mpumalanga
District Ehlanzeni
ISO 3166-2 ZA-MP
local community Thaba Chweu
height 1285 m
Residents 1721 (2011)
founding 1873
Pilgrim's rest with the cemetery
Pilgrim's rest with the cemetery

Pilgrim's Rest ( Afrikaans : Pelgrimsrus ) is a city in the South African province of Mpumalanga . It is located in the municipality of Thaba Chweu in the Ehlanzeni district .

geography

Pilgrim's Rest has 1,721 inhabitants (2011 census). The city is located in the northern foothills of the Drakensberg on the Blyde River .

history

Pilgrim's Rest was founded in what was then the Transvaal in 1873 after alluvial gold was discovered in Pilgrim's Creek . By the 1880s, the alluvial gold reserves were depleted, so a mine was built which was taken over by the newly formed Transvaal Gold Mining Estates (TGME) in 1895 . In addition, several hydropower plants were built so that an electric tram and the mills of the smelters could be powered. During the Second Boer War there was a mint in Pilgrim's Rest , in which, among other things, the Veldpond was minted. In 1911, a 2 MW power plant was built east of Pilgrim's Rest, which was initially the largest hydropower plant in the southern hemisphere . It remained in operation until 1992 and provided the city with street lighting as the second in South Africa after Kimberley . The mine was closed in 1971 and reopened in 1999.

Economy and Transport

Tourism plays an important role. The city has been designated a national monument since 1986 and is on the candidate list for the since 2004 UNESCO - World Heritage . The cemetery from the early days of the city, where numerous gold diggers, mostly so-called Uitlanders , were buried, is a sight .

Pilgrim's Rest is on the R533 trunk road, which connects the town with Graskop in the east and the R36 near Ohrigstad in the west and is part of the Panorama Route . The Pilgrim's Rest Airport has the ICAO code FAPO and is located north of the village on the Blyde River.

Web links

Commons : Pilgrim's Rest  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 2011 census , accessed on March 21, 2014
  2. ↑ a b c d e History of Pilgrim's Rest , accessed March 21, 2014
  3. ↑ UNESCO website , accessed on March 21, 2014