Vereeniging (F 10)

Name: Vereeniging


Main Source: Wikipedia

Vereeniging is a city in Gauteng province, South Africa, with a population of more than 400,000. It is also one of the constituent parts of the Vaal Triangle region and was formerly situated in the Transvaal province.


The name Vereeniging is derived from the Afrikaans/Dutch word meaning "association" or "union", "joining" or "uniting", is located around the old rail and road crossing points between the two old republics: the then Zuid-Afrikaansche Republic and the Republic of the Orange Free State.


Geographical Information
Vereeniging is situated in the Southern part of Gauteng Province, and neighbors Vanderbijlpark (West), Three Rivers (East), Meyerton (North) and Sasolburg (South).
The predominant language in Vereeniging is Afrikaans, which is followed up closely by English and Sesotho.
The motto of the city is : Per Pacem ad Industriam (Through peace to industry)

[edit] History
The city was founded in 1892 and is situated on the banks of the northern loop of the Vaal River. Much of its early growth was due to the nearby coal mines.

The city is well known for being the location where the Treaty of Vereeniging ending the Second Boer War (1899-1902) was negotiated. During this conflict, a concentration camp was set up by the British military in the area.

Nearby Vereeniging is the predominantly black community of Sharpeville, Gauteng, the site of the Sharpeville massacre in 1960.

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Main source: http://www.places.co.za/html/vereeniging.html

In the late 1800s the Vaal River was crossed at Viljoensdrift, on the Free State side of the present Vereeniging. In 1878 coal was dicovered on the farm Leeuwkuil and a town developed around the mine on the northern bank of the Vaal River. The first stands were sold in 1892 and the railway track crossing the Vaal River was also completed that year.

It is one of the busier industrial areas in South Africa. The town is one of the most important heavy industrial centres in South Africa and cables, chains, steel tubing, farm implements and many steel and other products are manufactured here.

Coal reserves have been estimated at as much as 4 billion tons and substantial deposits of fire-clay, silica and building stone are also mined.

Activities
Klip River Terrace
One of the most valuable archaeological sites in the world. A rich store of Stone Age implements has been uncovered here.

Maccauvlei
Is a coal-rich farm that is also the site of an Anglo-Boer War concentration camp
and has a memorial to the Canadian soldiers who were killed in that war.

Mona Lisa
Very few people will be leave the Mona Lisa shop without buying at least one souvenir.
The shop offers a wide selection of homemade gifts, Swazi glass, candles, clay hangings and paintings.

Museum
Houses an interesting collection of photographs that were taken during the peace negotiations that ended the Anglo-Boer Warin 1902.

Three Rivers Nature Trail
Takes hikers along the Klip (Stone), Vaal and Suiker-bosrand Rivers. Also oppertunities for watersports.

Treaty of Vereeniging (actually finally signed at Melrose House in Pretoria)
The memorial was first erected on the spot where representatives of the Boer Republics and Rhodes initially discussed the conditions of the treaty - and later moved to the library.

The Vaal Teknorama
Is the only museum of its kind in the country. It focuses on industrial development in the area. The Witkop Blockhouse is a relic from the Anglo-BoerWar.


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