The historical Town Paarl

Location

„Perle unter der Sonne“ is situated in the centre of Paarl in the heart of the Cape Winelands in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.

The name Paarl means „Pearl“. When a Boer settler, Abraham Gabbema, reached the town on 22nd October 1657, he was overwhelmed by the view of the massive granite domes of the mountain at the edge of the valley to the east. These ridge of the mountain shone like a pearl in the morning sun. Today the 728 m high mountain is called Paarl Mountain and was declared a National Monument in 1963.

The name of the town is spelled Pêrel (the Afrikaans equivalent of the Dutch Paarl).

The city has a population of more than 100,000 and is located along the Berg River. To the north it borders the equally historic city of Wellington.

Paarl is situated in the Western Cape Province, approximately 50 km from Cape Town Airport and nestled a picturesque valley. The town’s central location makes it an ideal base for sightseeing tours to Cape Town, the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, nature reserves and the world famous winelands. Paarl is famour for its many nearby hiking trails through some of South Africa’s most beautiful scenery. Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, are also just down the road in the surrounding mountains less than 30 minutes drive.

Animal lovers won’t be disappointed – Lions, Antelopes, Giraffes, Ostriches, Reptiles, Birds, Penguins or Sharks (Cage Diving). There are different animal attractions to suit every tastes.

History

Paarl was officially founded in 1690 (the first farm was built around 1687). The region was first settled by Huguenots from France. They built up the South African wine industry around Paarl and Stellenbosch. One of the largest wine cooperatives (KWV – Kooperatieve Wijnbouwers-Vereiniging van Zuid-Afrika Beperkt) has its head office in Paarl and several other important wine estates are also located in Paarl (e.g. Nederburg, Fairview, Glen Carlou). Paarl is also known for its amazing fruits production.

Paarl was played an important role in the development of the Afrikaans language. On 14 August 1875, the “Community of the real Afrikaans people” (Genootskap van Regte Afrikaners) was founded with the aim of establishing Afrikaans also as a written language. This community published its first magazine in Afrikaans on 15 January 1876, initially monthly and later weekly. The journal was replaced by the local Paarl Post in 1905.

The Afrikaans Patriot was printed in the farm house of Gideon Malherbe, a co-founder of the Genotskap, and since 14 August 1975 the Afrikaans Language Museum, also known as the Gideon Malherbe Museum, is located on the 1st floor of this building. The ground floor of the farmhouse is still in its original condition from the time of the Malherbe`s, who lived here from 1860 to 1921. The importance of the Afrikaans is also shown by the Afrikaanse Taalmonument (Monument to the Afrikaans language) which is located above the town.

It’s also interesting to note that Paarl is home to the Victor-Vester-Prison. This is the prison where Nelson Mandela was released on 11 February 1990.