Swellendam Feature
Dorp with a past
Cape Governor Hendrik Swellengrebel and his wife Helena Ten Damme may have long faded into obscurity but their combined ‘efforts’ gave rise to the dorp (town) of Swellendam. The area around the town was a meeting place for Europeans and the local Khoikhoi people from the 16th century and when the Dutch established a post at the Cape in 1652, trade continued inland as far as Swellendam.
In 1743 Swellendam was declared a magisterial district, the third oldest in South Africa, and was named after the couple. In time, a village was established opposite the Drostdy built in the same year – the home of the magistrate, who was the most important figure in a town. The building survives to this day, the oldest Drostdy in the country. To travellers and explorers, the services of the village folk were indispensable, as Swellendam was the last outpost of ‘civilisation’ on the frontier.
By 1795 maladministration and inadequacies of the Dutch East India Company caused the long-suffering townsfolk to revolt and they declared themselves a republic. Alas, it was to be short lived with the arrival in the Cape of the British. With the arrival of English settlers in the early 19th century the area boomed, and Swellendam was soon at the heart of the famous mercantile empire of Joseph Barry.
Today Swellendam is at the centre of an important agricultural area but its historic past remains alive in its buildings. Today the Drostdy in Swellengrebel Street forms part of a open-air museum complex that consists of several heritage sites showing life in the Cape in the ‘good old days’. The museum displays a beautiful collection of furniture from the 18th and 19th century, including kitchen equipment and horse carriages while an extensive picture collection illustrates the history of the town. It is open seven days a week and guided tours are available by appointment.
The other option is to explore Swellendam by taking a historic walk. There are many old buildings, some dating from the 18th century. Among them is the Dutch Reformed Moederkerk (mother church), with its amazing architectural features, including Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and vernacular Cape elements.
Swellendam was an important gateway and trading post from the 1600s. Much of the town’s history has been preserved allowing a wonderful stroll down memory lane
Call of the wind
Swellendam nestles below Twelve O’clock Peak in the Langeberg mountains. There are four beautiful and unique nature reserves within easy driving distance of the town. The Bontebok National Park, only 7 km from Swellendam, is one of conservation’s great success stories. Here the strikingly coloured Bontebok was saved from extinction. In 1931 there were only 17 of these antelope alive and today they number in excess of 3 000 thanks to the efforts of this park. In the mountains behind Swellendam is the Marloth Nature Reserve well known for its mountain fynbos, beautiful hikes, and relic forest where on occasions even leopard or caracal can be seen. Closer to Heidelberg is the Grootvadersbos Reserve, some 240ha in extent where such rare species as the Knysna Woodpecker and the Narnia Trogon can be seen. Over the hills close to Barrydale is the Sanbona Wildlife Reserve where recently one of the most endangered mammals alive, the Riverine Rabbit, was re-discovered.
There are not only animals in the Bontebok Park – at the right time of year the highly endangered buchu laxia and protea decurrens, a mouse-fertilized protea, can be seen. Some 197 types of birds inhabit this area including the endangered Black Harrier and the Denham Bustard. The insect life is also fascinating and includes the unique Forest Emperor Butterfly, and if you are lucky you can also see a Ghost Frog.
By Confetti Studio
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