Anna Basson Blog

Olienhout street - Stellenbosch's indigenous forests

by 'nDromer | Local News
Indigenous forests are usually associated with Knysna and its surrounds, but there were many olienhout, stinkhout, hardepeer and assegaaihout in Stellenbosch in the past. Today we see examples of this in the mountain kloofs of Jonkershoek – especially in Swarboskloof and Langrivierkloof. Luckily Assegaaibos and the Jonkershoe...  Continue reading

Where does the name Jonkershoek come from?

by 'nDromer | Local News
The word 'Jonker' literally translates as 'young man' or bachelor. So why is this valley called Jonkershoek? (as well as the street leading to it)?Mountaineering, fauna and flauraJonkershoek nature reserve is one of the most popular places in the Western Cape for those who love the outdoors.The reserve covers almost 11,000 he...  Continue reading

Who was Mostert of Mostertsdrift?

by 'nDromer | Local News
More than 300 years ago Jan Cornelis Mostert bought a piece of land along the Eerste River.Mostertsdrift was one of Stellenbosch's first farms – a piece of fertile land along the  Eerste River.At the time Stellenbosch was little more than a farmer's community – in the first year eight families moved in and two years later ano...  Continue reading

De Waal street - where does the name come from?

by 'nDromer | Local News
De Waal Street is a small cul-de-sac used mostly for access towards the residences and parking. Although not many people notice it, it has a rich history.Denneoord college movesThe writer Annie Hofmeyr was 90 years old when she wrote a book about Van Riebeeckstraat Stellenbosch - Noordekant (1990).  One of the stories in her ...  Continue reading

The story of Denneoord College

by 'nDromer | Local News
When doing research for my previous blogs I often came across the name “Denneoord” and wondered what it refers to. The primary school I attended, Stellenbosch Primary, once had that name. What is the story of Denneoord and how does it fit into the Stellenbosch heritage?The short answer is that Denneoord was the institution fr...  Continue reading

Where does Endler street and Jannasch street come from?

by 'nDromer | Local News
Hans Endler and FW Jannasch are two of the big names in Stellenbosch’s cultural history.The Endler hall is where most of the big classical music conserts in Stellenbosch are held. Endler street is close to Stellenbosch high and primary school. Fismer and Jannasch are the names of two smaller venues in the conserve, where lunc...  Continue reading