Worcester (South Africa)

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Worcester
Worcester (South Africa)
Worcester
Worcester
Coordinates 33 ° 39 ′  S , 19 ° 26 ′  E Coordinates: 33 ° 39 ′  S , 19 ° 26 ′  E
Basic data
Country South Africa

province

Western cape
District Cape Winelands
local community Breede Valley
height 223 m
Residents 97,098 (2011)
founding 1820
Worcester, High Street
Worcester, High Street

Worcester is a city in the Breede Valley community , Cape Winelands District , Western Cape Province in South Africa . It is the supply center for the surrounding wine and fruit growing areas in the Breede River Valley and the seat of the local government. The city is 223 meters above sea level on the N1 motorway , which connects Cape Town (121 kilometers away) and Johannesburg . In 2011 it had 97,098 inhabitants.

Worcester is surrounded by the Brandwacht and Overhex Mountains and Langeberg . The Breede River and Hex River flow on either side of the city. The Hex River often dries up after summers with little rain.

history

In 1820 the Worcester District was founded as the Sub- Drostdy of Tulbagh . Two farms, Langerug and Roodewal, were bought to start a town on this property. The first 44 parcels were sold in February 1820 and in 1822 Worcester was proclaimed a separate Drostei after a storm destroyed the Drostdy of Tulbagh. It received full town charter in 1842.

The city was named after the Marquis of Worcester, a brother of Lord Charles Henry Somerset , the then governor of the British Cape Colony .

Attractions

  • the old Drostei
Historic houses are on Church Street. Artists and their galleries have settled around Church Square, and here is also the Garden of Remembrance with its monuments.
  • Small Plasie Open Air Museum on the road towards Robertson
Here an 18th century farm, a Voortrekker hut and a Khoikhoi camp have been built up in great detail. Rural life between 1700 and 1900 is recreated by actors in historical costumes during daily demonstrations. There are z. B. Soap is made, grain is ground, wool is spun, tobacco is rolled and horseshoes are forged. There is also a snake park with over 30 species of snakes, iguanas and crocodiles.
  • KWV Brandy Cellar , a brandy distillery and winery that is one of the largest in the world.
Here you can find out everything about brandy distillation. Almost a quarter of South African grapes are harvested in the Worcester region. Many of the grapes are traditionally processed into brandy.
The botanical garden is unique in the southern hemisphere as it specializes in succulent plants. In the South African spring (August / September) thousands of native succulents and annuals bloom. It was originally founded in Matjiesfontein in 1921 , but moved to Worcester in 1945. More than 300 rare and endangered succulent species are also bred here and saved from extinction. The corresponding greenhouses are not open to the public. There is a separate Braille path 1000 meters long for the blind .

sons and daughters of the town

Other personalities

  • JM Coetzee : The writer and Nobel Prize winner for literature lived in Worcester as a child. He describes these childhood memories in his book The Boy. An African Childhood (Original Title: Boyhood ).
  • Cromwell Everson, the composer of the first Afrikaans opera Klutaimnestra (1967), was a teacher in Worcester.

Web links

Commons : Worcester (South Africa)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Zweletemba , Worcester 2011 Census ( total ), accessed November 24, 2013