Swellendam

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Swellendam
Swellendam (South Africa)
Swellendam
Swellendam
Coordinates 34 ° 1 '24 "  S , 20 ° 26' 22"  E Coordinates: 34 ° 1 '24 "  S , 20 ° 26' 22"  E
Basic data
Country South Africa

province

Western cape
District Overberg
ISO 3166-2 ZA toilet
local community Swellendam
height 120 m
surface 58.1 km²
Residents 17,537 (2011)
density 301.6  Ew. / km²
founding 1746Template: Infobox location / maintenance / date
Website www.swellendam.net (English)
The church of the Dutch Reformed Church in the city center
The church of the Dutch Reformed Church in the city center

Swellendam is a city in the Overberg District , Western Cape Province in South Africa .

geography

Swellendam is about 230 kilometers east of Cape Town and about 220 kilometers west of George on the national road N2 and the Worcester – Voorbaai railway . The city spreads out at a height of around 120 meters on the gently undulating southern slopes of the Langeberg Mountains . The coast of the Indian Ocean is about 50 kilometers away. In 2011 the city had 17,537 inhabitants.

The Breede River flows past to the west of the city and flows into the Indian Ocean southeast of Swellendam near Witsand . Nearby are the towns of Ashton , Barrydale , Montagu and Robertson .

history

Dutch Cape Colony with the Batavian subsidiary republics Graaff-Reinet (blue) and Swellendam (red) on the eve of the British occupation in 1795

Swellendam was founded in 1743 as a district and in 1746 as a city and outpost of the Dutch East India Company , making it the third oldest city in South Africa after Cape Town and Stellenbosch - according to other sources, the fifth oldest city. It was named in October 1747 after the governor Hendrik Swellengrebel and his wife Helena, née ten Damme.

From 1745 Swellendam served as the administrative center of the third, newly established administrative district in the Cape Colony, which was named after this city. The cultivation of citrus fruits began here around 1800, which can only be achieved through irrigated agriculture because of the low precipitation in the summer period.

In 1795 the residents were so angry with the Dutch East India Company that they deposed the Landdrost , the district official appointed by the Cape Government, and proclaimed the Republic of Swellendam under its leader Hermanus Steyn. This Boer republic but was only three months (February-June 1795) until the British, the area on behalf of the Dutch Erbstatthalters William V occupied.

In 1865 the city was ravaged by fire. Nevertheless, numerous older buildings have been preserved.

Attractions

The Drostdy building in the Cape Dutch style , which was expanded and modified in 1844, dates from the founding time of Swellendam in 1747 . This is where the Landdrost resided . The building now forms the core of a small museum complex, which also includes the old prison.

In the center there is a church that belongs to the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa . The wooden spire was so rotten in 2008 that it had to be replaced. While trying to remove it with the help of ropes and a helicopter, it fell on the church roof.

Seven kilometers south of the city is the entrance to the Bontebok National Park , which is home to around 200 colored ibex , antelopes and springboks as well as around 20 mountain zebras. The national park can be explored in your own car. The Marloth nature reserve is located directly above the city .

tourism

Swellendam offers a good tourist infrastructure with numerous accommodation options (mainly bed & breakfasts , some in Cape Dutch houses) and restaurants. There is a 9-hole golf course on the outskirts.

sons and daughters of the town

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b List of city foundations in South Africa (English), accessed on May 15, 2016
  2. ↑ 2011 census , accessed November 23, 2013
  3. ↑ a b History of Swellendams at hideaway.co.za (English), accessed on May 16, 2016
  4. ^ Peter Edmund Raper : Dictionary of Southern African Place Names . Lowry Publishers, Johannesburg 1987 (2nd ed.), P. 310
  5. ↑ Traugott Molter: Water balance and irrigation agriculture in the Cape . Franz Steiner Verlag, Wiesbaden 1966, pp. 143-144
  6. ↑ Video of the incident (English)