Heidelberg, Western Cape
Encyclopedia
Heidelberg is a town in Western Cape
, South Africa
. It is located near South Africa's south coast, on the N2
highway, 274 km east of Cape Town
(about half way between Cape Town and Knysna
). Heidelberg is just east to the Overberg
region, and some consider it the beginning of the Garden Route
.
In 1716, Louis Fourie, who is recognised as the founding father of Heidelberg, obtained grazing rights from Governor Van der Stel and he settled alongside the Duivenhoks River. This is where he later constructed the Doornboom Homestead - registered in 1728 - and the Doornboom Farm was established. Heidelberg is today what was once Doornboom Farm.
Heidelberg is part of the Hessequa Local Municipality.
The new Tourism Office is located in Fourie House on Fourie Street, the oldest house in Heidelberg.
Western Cape
The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the much larger Cape Province...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It is located near South Africa's south coast, on the N2
N2 (South Africa)
The N2 is a National Route in South Africa; it is the main highway along the Indian Ocean coast of the country. The N2 starts in Cape Town in the Western Cape and runs through the cities of Port Elizabeth and East London in the Eastern Cape and Durban in KwaZulu-Natal to end at Ermelo in...
highway, 274 km east of Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
(about half way between Cape Town and Knysna
Knysna
Knysna is a town with 76,431 inhabitants in the Western Cape Province of South Africa and is part of the Garden Route. It lies 34 degrees south of the equator, and is 72 kilometres east from the town of George on the N2 highway, and 25 kilometres west of Plettenberg Bay on the same road.-History:A...
). Heidelberg is just east to the Overberg
Overberg
Overberg is a district in South Africa to the east of Cape Town beyond the Hottentots-Holland mountains. It lies along the Cape Province's south coast between the Cape Peninsula and the region known as the Garden Route in the east...
region, and some consider it the beginning of the Garden Route
Garden Route
The Garden Route is a popular stretch of the south-eastern coast of South Africa. It stretches from Heidelberg in the Western Cape to the Storms River which is crossed along the N2 coastal highway over the Paul Sauer Bridge in the extreme western reach of the neighbouring Eastern Cape...
.
In 1716, Louis Fourie, who is recognised as the founding father of Heidelberg, obtained grazing rights from Governor Van der Stel and he settled alongside the Duivenhoks River. This is where he later constructed the Doornboom Homestead - registered in 1728 - and the Doornboom Farm was established. Heidelberg is today what was once Doornboom Farm.
Heidelberg is part of the Hessequa Local Municipality.
The new Tourism Office is located in Fourie House on Fourie Street, the oldest house in Heidelberg.