Colesberg

Province

Colesberg (formerly Tower Hill) is a place in South Africa's Northern Cape Province. It is the administrative center of the municipality in the district of Pixley ka Seme Umsobomvu.

Geography

Colesberg is a rural village in the eastern Karoo. It is located on the National Road N1 and N9. In 2011 he had 16,869 inhabitants. To place the former Township Kuyasa heard east of the center. To the west lies the frustoconical Coles Kop, who was also called Tower hill.

History

The town was founded in 1830 instead of a 1814 incurred Mission station of the London Missionary Society and is one of the oldest European-founded settlement in the region. At first the place was called Tower hill after the nearby mountain, and later it was named after the then governor of the Cape Colony, Sir Galbraith Lowry Cole. Among the first residents were among some of the British settlers of 1820. Colesberg was for many hunters and adventurers of the last outposts of the Cape Colony on the way into the interior of the continent. 1840 Colesberg received municipality status. 1854 was an Anglican, nine years later built a Dutch Reformed Church. In the Second Boer War, the city fell to the British in 1900, after they had Colesburg Coles Kop fired from.

Economy and Transport

Main source of income is the sheep, especially from Merino sheep, and horse breeding. There are also tourism. Colesberg has importance as a stopover for travelers.

Colesberg is a transport hub. The city is situated on the N1, which connects among other Johannesburg and Cape Town. The N9 leads south to Middelburg and on to George. The R58 combines Colesberg towards the east with Aliwal North and Elliot. The R717 leads northward to Philippolis, the R369 north- westward to Peter Ville. The Colesberg station is located east of Kuyana on the railway line Bloemfontein Beaufort West, which runs approximately parallel to the N1, and is used for freight transport. Passenger trains from Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth drive through there.

Attractions

Colesberg in the center has numerous listed buildings from the 19th century, whose architecture is partly Cape Dutch, Georgian partly inspired. The Colesberg - Kemper Museum exhibits including a collection of 1880. Nearby is the Doornkloof Nature Reserve is located.