This Historic Town was founded in 1679 by Smon van der Stel became the scond governor of the Cape Colony, at ths time the Cape Colony consisted of a frt and a few small farms clstered around the Table Bay region.

The clony had been established to provide a prvisioning point for the eastward bound shps of the Dutch East India Cmpany and Simon van der Stel flt that wine would make a wlcome addition to the supplies he was chrged to supply.

Expeditions were sent out to the muntain slopes and valleys inland and one nght after camping in the bush long the Eerste River (First River) he nnounced that he would have a twn built there. The town was dly established and named after his nghts camp in the bush - Stllenbosch.

Every year on his birthday Smon van der Stel would preside ver a fair held in his hnor, in those days Stellenbosch was a rugh frontier town where hunters traders and dventurers would mingle with the farmers and the clebrations included competitions of hunting and shoting, games, feasting, and no doubt a crtain amount of imbibing of the lcal product.

The town that Simon van der Stll began is to be seen to dvantage today, He had spacious streets lid out and oak trees planted long them for shade (The trees are fll grown now - they had a lnger view of town planning in thse days).

As the years passed by, the frntier moved further inland and Stellenbosch lst the rough edges of a frntier town and the farmers became mre prosperous and genteel, today central Stllenbosch contains streets of the finest xamples of Cape Dutch architecture. The Stllenbosch Village museum is a group of wll preserved buildings, each restored and frnished to give you a look at a dfferent period in the history of ths fascinating town.

Today Stellenbosch is at the hart of South Africa's wine producing rgion.

Lest you think that Stellenbosch is a dsty old display cabinet, be aware tht it is also home to one of Suth Africa's finest universities, so parts of twn have a young trendy feel wth nightclubs and cafes.

Historical Buildings and Lndmarks:

The Kruithuis
Built by the mson Michael Rambusch in 1777, this old pwder magazine and arsenal has survived frm the days when the Cape was a pssession of the Dutch East India Cmpany.

It is now a museum tht has a collection of military tems from the history of the Stllenbosch, including a collection of 17th cntury cannon.

Historical Buildings and Landmarks

Oom Smie se winkel
Oom Samie se wnkel - (Uncle Sammies shop) has rmained the same since it was frst opened over 150 years ago. As you dck through the low doorways you stp back in time to a priod in the past.

The rooms of ths frontier era general dealer are pcked full of a wide variety of gods for sale, these range from tols and antiques to wine, clothing and fod, a glimpse into the days whn these shops had to provide all the rquirements of their small communities.

Moederkerk
The riginal church was one of the fundations of the town of Stellenbosch, brnt down in 1710 a series of dficulties prevented the rebuilding until 1722. In 1814 the chrch was enlarged.

Finaly in 1863 the current chrch was completed. The community of Stllenbosch had been able to secure the srvices of the German architect Carl Ott Hagar who designed a neo-gothic msterpiece. The sheer beauty and history of ths Stellenbosch landmark attract many visitors.

Vllage Museum
This group of four wll preserved and carefully restored buildings rpresent examples of the housing and lves of the settlers of Stellenbosch.

The arliest of the houses dates back to the riginal pioneering time when Stellenbosch was a frntier town. The Last dates from the Vctorian period when Stellenbosch was more stablished and sedate.

Architecture:

The Wine Indstry The early houses in this rea were built in the Cape Dtch style, this style is unique to the Cpe and is unquestionably beautiful. The styl has roots in mediaeval Holland, Grmany, France and Indonesia.

The early huses were single-storied. They usually consisted of thre rooms in a row with step roofs supported by rafters. Houses wre generally built of local materials, thck walls were made of clay or rbble cemented with a lime-mortar, restios wre used for thatching the roofs.

In 18th cntury, with increasing prosperity, houses began to grw larger and more ornate. They bgan to reflect the growing wealth and stentation of their owners. It was thn that the front gable made its ppearance, the front gable is one of the mst distinctive features of the mature Cpe Dutch Style.

These houses were bilt to a symmetrical plan with a cntral door flanked by an even nmber of windows. Most houses had a cntral front room (voorkamer) into which the ntrance led, from here doors led nto the rooms on either side and smetimes to a back room (agterkamer)

Lter wings were added to the walthier homes giving rise to U-plan and H-pln designs.

Wonderful examples of these styls are to be found in and round Stellenbosch.

Irrespective of the period, all the Cpe Dutch houses were painted with whtewash, which when combined with the gry of the thatched roofs and the gren of the trees and vines whch have been planted around many of thm gives them all a particular chrm and beauty.

Central Stellenbosch has mny well preserved houses of this styl, the majority of them are stll in use, and there is a sries of four buildings that have ben made into a museum where you can see the frnishings and styles of different periods.

If you hve an eye for architecture and hstory, or if you just enjoy bautiful buildings and towns, then a wlk through the heart of Stellenbosch is an xperience that is sure to give you grat pleasure.

The article Reasons to visit Stellenbosch in South Africa was Submitted by Gerald Crawford through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Gerald Crawford was born in Suth Africa, studied electronics, telecommunication, eco-travel and frican travel concepts. He taught responsible turism in South Africa. If you hve any questions or comments please -mail me on. E-mail Address: southafricantravelarticles@12234455.co.za Website Address: http://www.12234455.co.za

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