Stellenbosch (B 16)

Name: Stellenbosch

Stellenbosch lies near the head of the Eerste River Valley, while the valley produces the grapes for some of the world's finest wines. It is in the heart of a fertile farming area, where many wine farms are found and the town itself homes one of the oldest universities in SA. This town has a rich history and many interesting things to see and do.

Stellenbosch was founded by Simon van der Stel in 1679, when he was appointed Governor of the Cape. After arriving in Cape Town, he and his party journeyed inland towards the Mountains, where they came across the lush valley, which Simon van der Stel described as being very suitable for agriculture, provided with water from the passing river and adorned with may wooded areas suitable for firewood and gardens.

Van der Stels party pitched tents on an island; which has long since disappeared; and named the area Stellenbosch ('van der Stel's bush') . Within a few years the valley was dotted with thatched houses and the land was being used for agriculture.

After a stay in Stellenbosch, the van der Stel family returned to Cape Town; often returning to sort out quarrels about land rights. Later he created a county court to settle any further disputes, in which members were elected and changed each year by an election. All matters had to be approved by van der Stel regarding the growth of the town. Traveling to and from Cape Town van der Stel went along the Wagon Road, now known as Dorp Street

By 1683 there were about 30 families in Stellenbosch, in that year the first school was built and the magistrate was appointed. In 1686 the church was built and an annual gathering was held there to celebrate the town's founder, Simon van der Stel's birthday on the 14 October, which he always attended. His birthday is still celebrated in Stellenbosch to this day.

In 1717 a new church was granted after fire swept through the town and burned the old church to the ground. This new church served the community up until 1862, until it was too small to accommodate the population of the rapidly growing town, when the church of neo-Gothic design, was built. This church was designed by Carl Otto Hagen, and was built by craftsmen brought over from Holland. There is a superb organ inside and the fabulous stained glass for the windows came from France , the pieces of glass are set in concrete.

The ruins of the first church were left until 1802, when the site was sold and the Wium's Hotel was built there. In 1972 the hotel was bought by Gerhard Lubbe, who restored the foundations of the church, which can be seen in the hotel basement. This hotel today is called d'Ouwe Werf.

Ancient Oak trees line the streets around the new church, and the white buildings are well maintained to give a feel of the historic roots of this town.


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Stellenbosch University is recognised as one of the four top research universities in South Africa. It takes pride in the fact that it has one of the country’s highest proportions of postgraduate students of which almost ten percent are international students.

The University lies in the picturesque Jonkershoek Valley in the heart of the Western Cape Winelands. The earliest roots of the University can be traced back to the 17th century when a beginning was made with regular school instruction. In 1859 the Theological Seminary was founded and in 1866 the Stellenbosch Gymnasium. In 1881, the “Arts Department” of the Stellenbosch Gymnasium became the Stellenbosch College and renamed the Victoria College in 1887. In 1918, Victoria College made way for an independent university and Stellenbosch University opened its doors for some 500 students and 39 lecturers. The University has since then grown into the internationally recognised institution of excellence it is today with more than 24 000 students, 800 lecturers and some 50 research and service bodies.


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