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Cradled in a crook of the Sundays River, to the approaching traveller,
Graaff -Reinet seems like a verdant oasis in the stark surrounding
landscape.
Graaff-Reinet is home to more National Monuments than any
other town or city in South Africa. Round every corner a
piece of our history is revealed to intersted visitors.
A short stroll down Cradock Street will reveal more than
50 of these historic homes. Take a walk down Parsonage Street in
the centre of town - on the western end is the seat of the former
Dutch authority of the Cape (Drostdy Hotel), while facing it at
the estern end lies the erstwhile ecclesiastical power.
Or visit Reinet House, which forms part of a museum complex of
four historic builidings.
The imposing stone structure of the Grootkerk at the norhern end
of Church Street overlooks the commercial hub of the town.
Activities
Karoo Nature Reserve
Which is a mecca for hikers, photographers and students of flora
and fauna. Included in this reserve is the famous and awe-inspiring
Valley of Desolation as well as the peak Uitkyk, from which paragliding
enthusiasts from all over the world come to share the thermals of
the vast Karoo skies with the resident Balck Eagles.
The Drostdy
Once the headquaters of the town's first magistrate, designed by
Louis Thibault and completed in 1806.
Dutch Reformed Church
Designed to resemble the neo-Gotic lines of England's Salisbury
Cathedral, this is considered to be the finest church of its kind
in the country.
Hester Rupert Art Museum
A former oefeningshuis (activity centre), school and mission church,
this building was once saved from demolition by the Rembrandt Corporation
and was named after the mother of Anton Rupert, head of the corporation.
Huguenot Monument
Marking the arrival of the French Huguenots of South Africa, who
form an indelible part of history.
Independence Plaque
A plaque opposite the Drostdy, commemorating the town's brief spell
as a republic in the late 18th Century.
Jan Rupert Centre
Originally a mission church an now a spinning and weaving industry.
Includes a neo-Gothic London Missionary church and a factory from
where products are sold.
The 'Kruithuis'
A gunpowder magazine built on a hill by local merchants in 1853.
Old Jail
The banks of the Sunday River were the site chosen for this jail,
built in 1861. Among the jail's many inmates was Anna Rabie, the
last South African woman to be publicly executed.
Old Library Museum
Costume collection, reproductions of San artwork, art exhibit, photographic
collection and fossil collection.
Pyramid
A memorial on Magazine Hill to the forming of the Union of South
Africa in 1910.
St James Church
This beautiful 1850 building is the oldest original church still
in use in the town.
Van Ryneveld Dam
Part of the Valley of Desolation, this Dam is famed for its rich
birdlife, including many duck, cormorant and flamingoes among its
inhabitants.
War Memorial
A great bronze victory peace angel in the mayor's garden; dedicated
to local citizens, including Die middellandse Regiment who lost
their lives in WWII.
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