Everything about Paarl totally explained
Paarl (meaning "Pearl" in Dutch) is the third oldest
European settlement in the Republic of
South Africa (after
Cape Town and
Stellenbosch) and forms part of the
Western Cape Province. The 2001 census reports Paarl to have a population of approximately 108,000 which makes it the largest town in the
Cape Winelands. It is situated about northeast of
Cape Town in the
Western Cape Province and is renowned for its illustrious past and haunting scenic beauty. Paarl is unusual in South Africa in that the name of the place is pronounced differently in English and Afrikaans: in English it's 'Paarl' (rhymes with marl) but in Afrikaans it's 'Pêrel' ('Pair-uhl'), although still spelt Paarl. An unusual feature of the name of the town is that Afrikaners customarily attach the definite article to it: people say (in Afrikaans), "I live in the Pearl" (in die Paarl), rather than "I live in Pearl". This idiosyncrasy has a parallel in Australia: "I live in the Alice", meaning I live in Alice Springs.
Paarl also hosted a match from the
ICC Cricket World Cup 2003.
The district is particularly well known for its Pearl Mountain or "Paarl Rock". This huge
granite rock is formed by three rounded outcrops that make up Paarl Mountain and has been compared in majesty to
Uluru (formerly known as Ayers Rock) in Australia. (However, they're not geologically similar. Paarl Rock consists of intrusive igneous rock, while Uluru is a sedimentary remnant).
History
In
1657, while Abraham Gabemma was searching for additional meat resources for the new Dutch settlement at the
Cape of Good Hope, he saw a giant granite rock glistening in the sun after a rainstorm and named it "de Diamondt en de Peerlberg” (Diamond and Pearl Mountain). Gabemma (often also spelled Gabbema) was the Fiscal (public treasurer) at the settlement on the shores of Table Bay. The "diamonds" soon disappeared from the name and it became known simply at Pearl Rock or Pearl Mountain.
Then, in
1687, just 35 years after the arrival of
Jan van Riebeeck at the Cape, land for farms was given to some
Dutch settlers on the banks of the
Berg River nearby. The fertile soil and the
Mediterranean-like climate of this region provided perfect conditions for farming. The settlers planted
orchards,
vegetable gardens and above all,
vineyards,
which today produce some of the best red wines in the world.
Tourist attractions
Like many towns in the Cape Winelands, Paarl is home to a prosperous community, with many well maintained and attractive
Cape Dutch houses, beautiful gardens and streets lined with old oak trees.
Paarl boasts a unique cultural attraction: it was here that the foundations of the
Afrikaans language were laid by the
Genootskap van Regte Afrikaners. The "
Afrikaanse Taalmonument" (monument to the Afrikaans language) on the slopes of Paarl Mountain, the Language Museum and the Afrikaans Language Route through Dal Josaphat are memorials to this achievement.
The former headquarters of the
wine industry in South Africa is also situated here.: This was the famous "Co-operative Wine Growers' Association" (better known by its Afrikaans initials KWV). The
KWV became a South African institution that has acquired an international reputation based on its unique achievements and its imprint of quality on the local wine industry. Over the past decade, however, KWV became a completely profit-driven private company that has no administrative role anymore. (KWV's main wine production and maturation facilities are on its Paarl premises, while its
brandy production takes place in
Worcester and grape juice concentrate production in
Upington in the
Northern Cape).
The town and its surroundings attract many visitors with an array of activities and interests. There are magnificent Cape Dutch buildings (17-19th Century), scenic drives, hiking trails and the Paarl wine route, with its many
wine tasting opportunities (including vintages from the famous
Nederburg estate) and excellent restaurants.
The Paarl Rock itself is these days a popular Mecca for rock climbers. However, in the pioneering period of
rock climbing in South Africa, the mountain was ignored or shunned because its steep faces were so smooth and unfissured that climbers could find no place to attach "runners" or anchor points for
belays. The first serious climbing routes up the rock were pioneered in
1969 by climbers from the
University of Cape Town (notably J.W. Marchant and J. Knight), who established a few routes on which the rope was run out for or more with no protection whatsoever. This was in the days before bolting was possible and these achievements are still held in high regard today. Nowadays protection is afforded by bolts in the granite and there are on Paarl Rock a few dozen spectacular, beautiful and very hard routes that attract the best climbers of the current generation. (All of these climbs remain dangerous for the inexperienced.) A guide book for these routes was published in mid-2006.
Districts
The town is basically divided in six different areas, namely:
Courtrai (in the southern part of town and including the wealthy suburbs), Northern Paarl, Paarl-East (this area has its own separate municipality under the jurisdiction of the main municipality, and also the towns poorest region), Central Paarl (generally known as upper-paarl and also containing wealthy suburbs), Denneburg (in the south east of the town), and Vrykyk (In the South).
Schools
The town boasts some of the best academic schools in the country including
Paarl Boys' High School (est.1868), Paarl Girls' High,
Paarl Gimnasium (est.1858) and La Rochelle Girls' High School, in 2007 three of these four predominant high schools were placed in the Western Cape Province's top ten list (Paarl Gimnasium, being mainly sport orientated and not as academically established as the other schools, didn't make the list).
Further Information
Get more info on 'Paarl'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://paarl.totallyexplained.com">Paarl Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
