King William's Town

Province

King William 's Town is a city in the metropolitan municipality of Buffalo City, Eastern Cape Province in South Africa. The city is located near the port city of East London, bordering the provincial capital of Bhisho. On the basis of the census of 2011, it had 34 019 inhabitants.

History

King William 's Town was originally a mission station. In 1835 it was destroyed by the Xhosa tribes. After a military base had been created by the British, the missionaries came back and founded the city. 1858, the city of German retirees of King's German Legion was settled in the hope of a better life. However, many settlers died of starvation. On May 5, 1890 King William 's Town got its connection to the former railway network.

Education

The Amathole Museum displays exhibits on the history of early European settlement, including over German immigrants. In the Missionary Museum, a branch of the Amathole Museum, an insight into the work of the missionaries in southern Africa is on offer.

The city is the seat of the Fort Cox College of Agriculture and Forestry, whose campus is however in the southern foothills of the Amathole Mountains in Keiskammahoek.

Sons and daughters of the town

  • Steve Biko (1946-1977), civil rights
  • Charles Patrick John Coghlan (1863-1927), first Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia
  • James Percy FitzPatrick (1862-1931), author, politician, entrepreneur
  • Andile Yenana ( b. 1968 ), South African pianist
District Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality East London, Eastern Cape Mission (station) Xhosa people Amathole-Museum Charles Coghlan (politician)
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