Fort Beaufort

Province

Fort Beaufort is a town in South Africa's Eastern Cape Province. It is located in the district of Amathole (municipality Nkonkobe ). 2011, the city had 25,668 inhabitants.

History

Owes its origin to the city's system of a mission station in 1816 in an area that was dominated at that time by an intensifying colonization by white immigrants who came increasingly to the local population by the people of the Xhosa and the San in conflict.

Beaufort is the name of a French castle that stands in the historical context of the aristocratic British family, Sommerset. The name was later transferred to the city and is based on Lord Charles Somerset, the Duke of Beaufort, after the 1823 Fort built here was named. Major attractions are the remains of the old fort with a fortified tower, the Martello Tower. This tower was built in 1837. The fort served as a military post in a chain of fortifications that arose during the border wars between the Xhosa tribes and British troops in the 19th century.

Location

Fort Beaufort lies in a plane which passes in a northerly direction over a hill country in the hill country of winter mountains. The Kat River drains the mountain region and passes through the old village core at a short distance westward.

The small town is located on the regional road R63 and R67, which intersect in the city. By train you can reach Fort Beaufort of King William 's Town in the East or of Cradock and Somerset East in the West. From this line here branches off a side road to the northern city Seymour.

Infrastructure, business and tourism

At Fort Beaufort there is a hospital for the region, as well as the management of the school district of the same name is located there. The school district includes the area surrounding the city and extends in an easterly direction to Alice and the valley of the River Tyhume. Thus, a traditional main settlement area of ​​the Xhosa is encompassed.

The surroundings of Fort Beaufort, especially in the north, is characterized by plantation economy. The abundance of water in the valley of the Kat River allows this agricultural use. West and south of the city extend semi-arid areas of eastern Karoo region.

Among the tourist attractions and points to the culture of this region -oriented options include the Military Museum and a Museum. The latter was established in 1938 by decision of the National Monument 's Commission, opened in 1940 and shows not only testimonies of European settlement and handicraft exhibits the Xhosa population. Interesting, built by Andrew Geddes Bain Victoria Bridge is from the years 1840 to 1844, one of the oldest bridges in South Africa.

People

• John Dugard ( b. 1936 ), South African lawyer