Koelenhof (B16)

Name: Koelenhof

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The settlement pattern of the region is characterised by a system of urbancentres and satellite towns/villages linked into a broader regional system oftowns. The physiography of the mountains and valleys has resulted in linearsystem of towns and villages along fertile valleys and major transportation routes.As described, previously, most of the towns depend primarily on the surroundingagricultural resource base that drives the economy. Others form part of a systemof inter-linked functional centres. It is estimated that approximately 65% of the population live in the towns. Theremaining 35% of the population reside on farms and rural settlements. Althoughthe settlement pattern in the region is relatively stable, urbanisation isincreasingly taking place, particularly amongst seasonal workers and farmworkers (BDM, 2002). The larger towns are indicated by Figure A below and theirkey aspects are summarised as follows.a)StellenboschOn 8 November 1679 Governor Simon van der Stel first travelled to the EersteRiver valley and described it as the most charming valley he had yet seen. Thevalley of the Eerste River was the first of the inland valleys to be settled in theCape. Van der Stel subsequently named the valley ‘Van der Stel se Bosch’ (Vander Stel’s bush), and was determined on founding a settlement in an area soobviously suited to habitation of man (Erasmus, 2004). Although the first farms were allocated during 1679, the village of Stellenboschwas formally established in 1685 when the first landdrost, Jan Mulder, wasappointed. By then about 30 farms were being cultivated, which included namesthat are used presently, namely Koelenhof, Coetzenburg, Jonkershoek, Ida’sValley and Mostersdrift. Van der Stel surveyed the first residential stands on 15October 1686 and the Drostdy, the official residence of the landdrost, wascompleted in April 1687 (Erasmus, 2004). The town was badly damaged by fire in 1710, 1803 and again in 1875. InDecember 1803 more than 40 homes were burned to the ground. The result wasthat the architectural trend moved away from the single-storey Cape Dutchthatched homes to Georgian-style double-storey edifices. For over a centuryStellenbosch remained the seat of this frontier magistracy. Subsequently,missionary and rural settlements, such as Simondium, Raithby, Pniel,Lanquedoc, Jamestown, Johannesdal, Kylemore, and Klapmuts grew aroundStellenbosch, forming distinct agricultural nodes.Stellenbosch has retained much of its original character. The early settlers wereencouraged to plant oak trees and Stellenbosch subsequently aptly becameknown as ‘Eikestad’ (‘town of oaks’). Stellenbosch is the second oldest town
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(after Cape Town) in South Africa, and its well-preserved buildings are fineexamples of the impact of many architectural styles. Figure A: Larger towns included in the proposed Biosphere Reserve.
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b)PaarlPaarl was formally founded in 1690 and is the third oldest town in South Africa.Its history, however, dates back as far as 1657 when Abraham Gabemmaexplored the Berg River Valley in searched of new meat sources. Gabemmanamed two of the granite outcrops of Paarl Mountain, which was fondly referredto as ‘Tortoise Mountain’ by the Khoi-Khoi, as ‘Peerl’ (‘pearl’) and ‘Diamandt’(‘diamond’). By 1859 Paarl had developed a firm industrial base and it was known throughoutthe colony as the place where the best wagons and carts were made. Masonrywas another important industry during the 19th century. Today, Paarl is the mostindustrialized town in the region and together with Stellenbosch, Paarl and itsenvirons can justly be described as the heartland of South Africa’s ‘Winelands’(Erasmus, 2004).Paarl played a decisive role in the growth of the Afrikaans language. TheAfrikaans Language is the only language for which a monument has beenerected. There are three Afrikaans language monuments in South Africa ofwhich the monument on the Paarl Mountain is the largest c)WellingtonWellington is located in the Limiet (‘limit’) Valley which was settled by the FrenchHuguenots in 1688. The French called this area ‘Val du Charron’ which the Dutchtranslated to ‘Wagenmakersvallei’ (‘the cartwrights’ valley’). However, wagonbuilding only become an important industry in the 19th century (Erasmus, 2004).By 1838 there were enough farmers in the area to warrant a church andcommercial centre and the town of Wellington was proclaimed on 26 March1940. Wellington received a boost with the opening of Bain’s Kloof Pass in 1853and in 1863 the village became the provisional terminus of the first major railwayline in South Africa. Since the opening of the Huguenot Seminary by ReverendAndrew Murray in 1874, Wellington was regarded as one of the most importanteducational and religious centres in the Cape Colony (Erasmus, 2004). Wellington is a primary centre of South Africa’s fruit-growing and dried-fruitindustries. Local industrial activities include textile works, tanneries, footwearfactories, etc. d)FranschhoekFranschhoek was formally established in 1860 almost two centuries after theFrench Huguenot refugees were settled in the valley of Great Drakenstein and itseastern extension (Erasmus, 2004). A number of Huguenots settled inOliphantshoek (Elephant Corner) where vast herds of elephants roamed.
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Besides elephants there were leopards and other ‘dangerous animals’ in thevalley and people soon started referring to the area as Banghoek (frighteningcorner). Over time, the area became known as Franschhoek (French Corner). The French settlers brought with them a sound knowledge of viticulture andsettled down to make wine in the fine French tradition. The French also broughtwith them their delectable food culture, which arguable makes Franschhoek thecurrent gourmet capital of South Africa. Franschhoek is also noted for twoimportant historical monuments, namely the Huguenot Memorial and HuguenotMuseum.e)RawsonvilleRawsonville is located on the north-eastern boundary of the proposed BiosphereReserve in the Slanghoek Valley. The town and the De Goudini School and wasestablished in 1858. The town was named after William Rawson, who becamethe Colonial Secretary of the Cape Colony in 1854. Rawsonville is part of the famous Route 62 Wine Route (e.g. thirteen wine cellarsare found in a radius of ten kilometres of Rawsonville) and it offers a number ofoutdoor activities such as scenic cycling routes, horse and hiking trails, 4x4routes and bird-watching spots. Clear mountain streams are full of big trout,black bass, carp, white fish, water tortoise and eels offering excellent anglingopportunities (http://www.route62.co.za). f)VilliersdorpVilliersdorp is located on the southern boundary of the proposed BiosphereReserve. It was founded in 1844 by Field-Cornet Pieter de Villiers on the farmRadyn. Today, Villiersdorp is known as the ‘Pearl of the Overberg’, withagriculture being the mainstay of the economy. It is the centre of a prosperousapple-growing region which also produces grapes, onions, peaches and apricots. There is a local industry in the making of comfits – fruit preserved with sugar anddried, and it boasts the only moskonfyt (grape syrup) factory in the world(Erasmus, 2004). g)KlapmutsKlapmuts is centrally situated approximately 15 km from Paarl and Stellenboschin the midst of fertile wine farms. Early historical documents record the existenceof one of the Dutch East India’s outposts at Klapmuts in the late 1600s. However, it is not clear whether this was located at Klapmuts farm, a fewkilometres to the south, or in Klapmuts itself. There are a few historic buildings inKlapmuts dating from various periods in the village’s history. These include thelandmark thatched roof church, the Victorian hotel, and a number of buildingsdating from the 1930s.

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Koelenhof Wine Cellar invites you to explore a wide variety of fruity flavoured wines. These wines represent the hard work and dedication of 75 wine farmers ...
www.koelenhof.co.za/

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