riebeek valley history route

Moorreesburg PPC where we are 10 Gouda G R O O T W I N T E R H O E K

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R L G T Darling E A R iebeek Kasteel Pulpit 7 Malmesbury Hermon Rock 9 Wellington SAN PAINTINGS 8 the RIEBEEK g r e b l e e t s a K 6 unless otherwise stated +27 (0)22 448 1660 [email protected] www.christopherjphoto.com 5 Allesv er lor en valley I N D I A N O C E A N

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christopherj.photography Sonquasdrift h hiis sto t o rr yy router o u t e s

• Photography by

RIEBEEK 4 Goedgedacht

KASTEEL Orchard Design 3

Kloo v enbur g • Layout by 2 Malmesbury Hermon For further information contact:

Riebeek Valley Tourism Chris Murphy R46 Tel: 022-448 1545 1 E-mail: [email protected] Ongegund Web: www.riebeekvalley.info

Information compiled by valley history route

VALLEY BACKGROUND Pastorie diagonally across the road is a fine example of a 9 CEMETARY and SMUTS The history of the Riebeek Valley is Victorian mansion house. FAMILY GRAVES embedded in a timescale larger than 4 MAIN STREET and SQUARE, This graveyard with its white our comprehension. Stone age tools RIEBEEK KASTEEL 'werfmuur' is a reminder of the dating back to about 700 000 years The Main Street appears on a map dated early settlers in the Riebeek Valley. Stone age tools on Kasteelberg ago are found on the West Coast, including showing their distinctive 1861 as a route through Riebeek Kasteel When the PPC plant was established this area. Together with San paintings at a chiselled edges towards Tulbagh and by 1911 the square on what was the Smuts family farm in the 1950s, a graveyard number of sites on the mountain, there is was already designated as a market containing remains of the Smuts family was exhumed and plenty of evidence of human occupation square. Today an ox commemorating the Great Trek and a placed in their present location. over a very long period. VOC cannon removed from Swartdam in 1935 are in place. 10 SMUTS' BIRTHPLACE, ONGEGUND 1 PIETER CRUYTHOFF 5 ALLESVELOREN The structure credited with being the birthplace of JC Smuts MEMORIAL Originally a VOC outpost, this farm still exists on and is maintained by On 4 February 1661 Pieter Cruythoff was granted to Gerrit Cloete in PPC Riebeeck (entrance is gained led a party into the area; they were the first 1704. It was the birthplace of DF via the main gates of the facility). Europeans to travel this route, looking for the Malan and today is reowned for its An outer barn has been made into fabled city of Monamapatoa (they never found high quality red wines and port. a small museum to his life whilst it). Their account recalls viewing vast herds of 6 CHURCH PRECINCT, the building serves as a recreation game, and being harassed by a pride of lions, RIEBEEK WEST of a household as it would have existed in his youth. somewhere in the vicinity of Bothmanskloof The area immediately around the Dutch SURROUNDING Goedgedacht pass, where a memorial commemorates the Reformed Church contains splendid examples FARMS expedition. Simon van der Stel also followed this of Victorian and Edwardian architecture: Goedgedacht, Kloovenburg route in 1685 on a journey seeking copper deposits in the The Pastorie, Old Church Hall and Complex, and Allesverloren were now Northern Cape. A memorial to this trip Piedmont, Merindal, Eureka and Uitzicht. all grants made in 1704, stands outside De Oude Kerk in the village. 7 OLD QUARTER, RIEBEEK WEST the first in the area. Other early structures are that of 2 KLOOVENBURG The now modified Kirstenhof is the birthplace Chris Murphy A thriving viticulture and olive farm today, of Joe Jowell whose legacy is a major (another) Ongegund and Hans Fransen the first grant was to Jan Botma in 1704 transport company on the west coast. Sonquasdrift, all fine examples of the and by the middle of that century was To the east (below) the Main Road Cape Dutch architectural style. already an established wine farm. Some of the is a group of other fine examples of Sonquasdrift farm structures originate in the 18th century, Victorian buildings. and it is a pleasant stop to taste and buy fine 8 GROENRIVIER wines and olive products whilst viewing the One of the two farms (the other buildings. Note the early 19th century Allesverloren) that were sub divided fanlight above the tasting cellar doors. to create Riebeek West. Only some 3 DE OUDE KERK and elements of historical value still Willem Malherbe Ongegund PASTORIE exist, having being much altered without sympathy, and the Completed in 1863, this church, now the old mill is still just visible from the road. Valley Museum, is one of two in the SAN PAINTINGS This route is essetially intended for viewing, and not all of Valley dating from the same period Although not easily accessible the San the properties are open to the public. Some of the buildings and gives a clue to why two small left evidence of their involvement with have dates on the facades to gain an impression of their age. villages exist in such close proximity. the Valley, notably on the slopes of Kloovenburg, Allesverloren and Ongegund are open but please The recently restored (Kloovenburg) Kasteelberg above Riebeek West. check hours with the tourist office or www.riebeekvalley.info