Stellenbosch-Cape Town
Stellenbosch-Cape Town
The town of Stellenbosch was founded in 1679 by the Governor in the Cape Colony, Simon van der Stel, and he named the town after himself. Stellenbosch means the forest of van der Stel. The town itself is positioned on the banks of the Eerste River “First River”, named first river as it was the first river he reached and followed when he went on an expedition from Cape Town and inland towards the first major mountain ranges to explore the territory what is now known as Stellenbosch. The town grew incredibly quickly and is the second oldest town in South Africa (after Cape Town), it became an independent local municipality in 1682.The Dutch were obviously extremely skilled in hydraulic engineering and they set up systems of canals to obtain water from the Eerste River and from Thibault Street through the town along van Reinbeck Street to Mill Street where a mill was built. Many visitors to Stellenbosch always comment on the oak trees and gardens which gives the town a Dutch/German look about it.
Grapes were planted soon after the first Dutch and German settlers arrived in the fertile valleys around Stellenbosch and soon it became the centre of the South African wine industry. The first school was opened in 1683 but education in the town began to take shape in 1859 with the opening of the seminary for the Dutch Reformed Church (Afrikaans Religion).The Rhenish Girls’ High School was then opened in 1860, and is the oldest girl’s school in South Africa. A gymnasium which was called as het Stellenbossche Gymnasium was set up and opened in 1866. In 1874 some of the higher classes became the Victoria College and then finally in 1918 the University of Stellenbosch was established. In 1910 an old boy of the Victoria College, Paul Roos, who was the captain of the first national rugby team to be called the Springboks, was invited to become the sixth rector of the school. Paul Roos remained the rector until 1940 and on his retirement the school’s name was changed to Paul Roos Gymnasium.
During the early days of the Anglo Boer War (1899-1902) Stellenbosch was established as one of the British military base camp, and was used as a horse replenishment centre and in consequence of officers who had not distinguished themselves on the battle fields further north, being sent back to it, the expression ‘to be Stellenbosched’ came into use within British military terminology. Stellenbosch has a population of approximately 150 000and is primarily Afrikaans speaking (70%), with Xhosa 20% and English language 10% . The indigenous population speaks mostly Xhosa as their home language, with whites speaking Afrikaans or English, and the Cape Coloured (mixed-race and Khoisan) is primarily Afrikaans speaking and the majority at 50%.In the year 1833 the population of the Stellenbosch town was 16,137. It was made up of 8,555 slaves, 6,066 ‘Whites’, 1,220 ‘Hottentots’, and 296 ‘Free Blacks’.
The three valleys of Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek form the Cape Winelands or wine triangle and are the main wine growing regions in South Africa. The country produces about 1000 000 litres of wine per year with Stellenbosch seen as the primary location for viticulture and viticulture research. Professor Perold was the first Professor of Viticulture at the University of Stellenbosch .The Cape Wine Region has a Mediterranean style of climate with most of the summer being hot and dry followed by a short cool and wet winter. Stellenbosch is situated at the base of the Cape Fold mountain range, which provides the perfect type of soil conditions that include sandy type soils to decomposed granite that is perfect for high quality viticulture. Grapes grown in this area are mainly used for wine production, as opposed to table grapes. The Cape Wine region producers most of the European Noble Varietals as well as the famous South African Pinotage which is a cross between Hermitage and Pinot Nior.
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