[...] when your head yearns for the pillow’s restthe Eerste River grows louder and fulland in your heart, the stones roll rounder stillDJ Opperman. Grondstowwe by die siklus van seisoene II Winter (own translation) The round, white river stones of Stellenbosch’s Eerste River remind us of how the world used to look here, how w...  Continue reading

Those who studied at Maties before 1981 will know that the 'rooiplein' wasn't always built on a library. The J.S. Gericke was only created in 1981 when the university's previous two libraries became too small. The only place where the new library could be built centrally was underground.Why was the library built under the 'ro...  Continue reading

Stellenbosch's first teacher was Sybrand Mancadan, but he wasn’t a schoolteacher in the same sense as today.Controversial figureAlthough Mancadan was schooled in Theology, he was expelled from ministry in Friesland (a province in Holland) due to his indecent behaviour. Thereafter he was sent per ship to the small settlement, ...  Continue reading

In the 1800s Plein Street was one of the grandest streets in Stellenbosch, with rows of Victorian double story houses. But since it was part of Stellenbosch's CBD, the street's older buildings soon gave way to development.Today there are only a few remnants of its early history.[caption id="attachment_1434" align="aligncenter...  Continue reading

Stellenbosch has 4 Libertas storiesOude Libertas is a well-known amphitheater with a popular slow market.Klein Libertas is a theater complex that recently burnt down.Libertas Street is located in the neighbourhood of Karindal.Libertas Parva is a series of historic buildings in Dorp Street.Interesting facts about each:Oude Lib...  Continue reading

One of our readers inquired about the Hertzog map which was drawn exactly 200 years ago. Historians believe that then name Herte Street comes from Willem Hertzog and not from a deer or wild buckStellenbosch's first town planHertzog's map, drawn in 1817, is truly something special, both for its technical and its artistic quali...  Continue reading