Stellenbosch (; )A Universal Pronouncing Gazetteer.
Thomas Baldwin, 1852. Philadelphia: Lippincott, Grambo & Co.A Grammar of Afrikaans.
Bruce C. Donaldson. 1993. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. is a town in the

Western Cape The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ...

province of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, situated about east of

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

, along the banks of the Eerste River at the foot of the Stellenbosch Mountain. The town became known as the City of Oaks or ''Eikestad'' in

Afrikaans Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gra ...

and Dutch due to the large number of

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

trees that were planted by its founder,

Simon van der Stel Simon van der Stel (14 October 1639 – 24 June 1712) was the last commander and first Governor of the Dutch Cape Colony, the settlement at the Cape of Good Hope. Background Simon was the son of Adriaan van der Steland Maria Lievens ...

, to grace the streets and homesteads.''The Cyclopædia; or, Univeal Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and Literature.''
Abraham Rees, 1819. London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme & Brown Stellenbosch has its own municipality (incorporating the neighbouring towns of Pniel and Franschhoek), adjoining the

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...

of the

City of Cape Town The City of Cape Town ( af, Stad Kaapstad; xh, IsiXeko saseKapa) is the metropolitan municipality which governs the city of Cape Town, South Africa and its suburbs and exurbs. As of the 2011 census, it had a population of 3,740,026. The remo ...

. The town is home to Stellenbosch University. Technopark is a modern science park situated on the southern side of the town near the Stellenbosch Golf Course.

Prehistory

In 1899

Louis Péringuey Louis Albert Péringuey MSc (9 October 1855, Bordeaux – 20 February 1924, Cape Town) was a South African entomologist who specialised in Coleoptera and prehistory. Péringuey was a collector for museums in Senegal, Gambia and Madagascar fo ...

discovered

Paleolithic The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic (), also called the Old Stone Age (from Greek: παλαιός ''palaios'', "old" and λίθος ''lithos'', "stone"), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone too ...

stone tool A stone tool is, in the most general sense, any tool made either partially or entirely out of stone. Although stone tool-dependent societies and cultures still exist today, most stone tools are associated with prehistoric (particularly Stone Ag ...

s of the Acheulean

type Type may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc. * Data type, collection of values used for computations. * File type * TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file. * Ty ...

at a site named Bosman's Crossing near the Adam Tas Bridge at the western entrance to Stellenbosch.

History

The town was founded in 1679 by the Governor of the

Cape Colony The Cape Colony ( nl, Kaapkolonie), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British Empire, British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope, which existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when i ...

, who named it after himself – Stellenbosch means "(van der) Stel's Bush". It is situated on the banks of the Eerste River ("First River"), so named as it was the first new river he reached and followed when he went on an expedition over the Cape Flats to explore the territory towards what is now known as Stellenbosch. The town grew so quickly that it became an independent local authority in 1682 and the seat of a

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...

with jurisdiction over in 1685. The Dutch were skilled in hydraulic engineering and they devised a system of furrows to direct water from the Eerste River in the vicinity of Thibault Street through the town along van Riebeeck Street to Mill Street where a mill was erected.''Statistics of the Colonies of the British Empire in the West Indies, South America, North America, Asia, Austral-Asia, Africa and Europe: From the Official Records of the Colonial Office.''
Robert Montgomery Martin, 1839. London: W.H. Allen and Co. (p. 496)State of the Cape of Good Hope, in 1822.
William Wilberforce Bird. 1823. London: J. Murray. Early visitors commented on the oak trees and gardens.''The Life and Labours of George Washington Walker: of Hobart Town, Tasmania.''
James Backhouse and Charles Tylor, 1862. Tasmania: Thomas Brady (pp. 498–499) During 1690 some Huguenot refugees settled in Stellenbosch,

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years ago, ...

s were planted in the fertile valleys around Stellenbosch and soon it became the centre of the South African

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

industry. In 1710 a fire destroyed most of the town, including the first church, all the Company property and twelve houses. Only two or three houses were left standing. When the church was rebuilt in 1723 it was located on what was then the outskirts of the town, to prevent any similar incident from destroying it again. This church was enlarged a number of times since 1723 and is currently known as the "Moederkerk" (Mother Church). The first school had been opened in 1683, but education in the town began in earnest in 1859 with the opening of a seminary for the Dutch Reformed Church.

Rhenish Girls' High School Rhenish Girls' High School is a boarding school for girls in Stellenbosch in the province of Western Cape The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the n ...

, established in 1860, is the oldest school for girls in South Africa. A gymnasium, known as ''het Stellenbossche Gymnasium'', was established in 1866. In 1874 some higher classes became Victoria College and then in 1918

University of Stellenbosch Stellenbosch University ( af, Universiteit Stellenbosch) is a public research university situated in Stellenbosch, a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Stellenbosch is the oldest university in South Africa and the oldest extant ...

. The first men's hostel to be established in Stellenbosch was Wilgenhof, in 1903. In 1905 the first women's hostel to be established in Stellenbosch was Harmoni

Harmonie and Wilgenhof were part of the Victoria College. In 1909 an old boy of the school, Paul Roos (rugby player), Paul Roos, captain of the first national rugby team to be called the Springboks, was invited to become the sixth rector of the school. He remained rector until 1940. On his retirement, the school's name was changed to

Paul Roos Gymnasium Paul Roos Gymnasium is a public, dual medium (Afrikaans & English) high school for boys in the town of Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa, and opened on the 1st of March 1866 as Stellenbosch Gymnasium. It is the 12th oldest school in the c ...

. In the early days of the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

(1899–1902) Stellenbosch was one of the British military bases, and was used as a "remount" camp; and in consequence of officers who had not distinguished themselves at the front being sent back to it, the expression "to be Stellenbosched" came into use; so much so, that in similar cases officers were spoken of as "Stellenbosched" even if they were sent to some other place.

Population

At the time of the 2011 census, the population of the urban area of Stellenbosch was 77,476 people in 23,730 households, in an area of . A total of 50% of the residents spoke

as their home language, 28% spoke isiXhosa, and 8% spoke

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

. (10% of the residents, principally those in student residences, were not asked their language.) 37% of the population identified themselves as " Black African", 35% as "

Coloured Coloureds ( af, Kleurlinge or , ) refers to members of multiracial ethnic communities in Southern Africa who may have ancestry from more than one of the various populations inhabiting the region, including African, European, and Asian. South ...

", and 26% as "

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

".Combined population statistics of the Main Place
StellenboschLa Colline
an
Dalsig
which constitute the main urban area. The

Stellenbosch Municipality Stellenbosch Local Municipality (also known as Stellenbosch Municipality) is the local municipality that governs the towns of Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Pniel, and the surrounding rural areas, in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It c ...

extends beyond the town of Stellenbosch itself to include rural areas, villages, and the town of Franschhoek. At the time of the 2011 census, the municipal population was 155,728, while by 2016 it was estimated to be 173,197. In 2017, the municipality estimated that the population in 2018 would increase to 176,523 The 1936 census recorded a total population of 8,782 residents with 3,558 of them recorded as Coloured and 4,995 recorded as White.

Climate and geography

Stellenbosch is east of

via National Route N1. Stellenbosch is in a hilly region of the

Cape Winelands The Boland (Afrikaans for "top country" or "land above") is a region of the Western Cape province of South Africa, situated to the northeast of Cape Town in the middle and upper courses of the Berg and Breede Rivers, around the Boland Mountains ...

, and is sheltered in a valley at an average elevation of , flanked on the west by Papegaaiberg ( af, Parrot Mountain), which is actually a hill. To the south is Stellenbosch Mountain; to the east and southeast are the Jonkershoek, Drakenstein, and

Simonsberg Simonsberg ( en, Simon's Mountain) is part of the Cape Fold Belt in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is located between the towns of Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek, forming a prominent 1399 m high mountain, as it is detached f ...

mountains. Die Tweeling Pieke ( af, The Twin Peaks) has an elevation of ; the highest point is Victoria Peak .

Jonkershoek Nature Reserve Jonkershoek Nature Reserve is a CapeNature nature reserve located approximately south-east of the town of Stellenbosch in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It covers an area of approximately . Description The reserve lies north of the ...

lies about east of Stellenbosch, and the

Helderberg Nature Reserve Helderberg Nature Reserve is a nature reserve in Somerset West, South Africa. This nature reserve is located on the southern slopes of the Helderberg mountains. Its 398 ha consist mostly of “Kogelberg Sandstone Fynbos” (a highly species-rich ...

is about south via provincial route R44. Just south of the Helderberg Nature Reserve is Strand, a

seaside resort A seaside resort is a resort town, town, village, or hotel that serves as a Resort, vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requirements, suc ...

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

. The soils of Stellenbosch range from dark

alluvium Alluvium (from Latin ''alluvius'', from ''alluere'' 'to wash against') is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluv ...

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...

. This, combined with the well-drained, hilly terrain and

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

, prove excellent for

viticulture Viticulture (from the Latin word for ''vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ran ...

. Summers are dry and warm to hot, with some February and March days rising to over . Winters are cool, rainy and sometimes quite windy, with daytime temperatures averaging . Snow is usually seen a couple of times in winter on the surrounding mountains. Spring and autumn are colder seasons, when daytime temperatures hover in the 20s.

Sport

Stellenbosch is a warm weather training venue for cyclists, track and field squads, and triathletes. The Stellenbosch Sports Academy opened its doors in 2012 and hosts several rugby teams on a permanent basis, such as the Springbok Sevens and Western Province.

Viticulture and winemaking

The Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek valleys form the

, the larger of the two main wine growing regions in South Africa. The South African wine industry produces about 1,000,000,000 litres of wine annually. Stellenbosch is the primary location for viticulture and viticulture research. Professor Perold was the first Professor of Viticulture at Stellenbosch University. The Stellenbosch Wine Route established in 1971 by Frans Malan from Simonsig, Spatz Sperling from Delheim, Neil Joubert from Spier and David van Velden from Overgaauw, known as Stellenbosch American Express® Wine Routes since 2002, is a world-renowned and popular

tourist Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mo ...

destination. This route provides visitors the opportunity to experience a wide range of cultivars and includes farms such as Warwick and JC Le Roux. The region has a

with hot dry summers and cool wet winters. Stellenbosch lies at the foot of the Cape Fold mountain range, which provides soil favourable to

. Grapes grown in this area are mainly used for wine production, as opposed to

table grapes Table grapes are grapes intended for consumption while fresh, as opposed to grapes grown for wine production, juice production, or for drying into raisins. ''Vitis vinifera'' table grapes can be in the form of either seeded or non-seeded varieta ...

. The region possesses a wide range of soils in the area, from light, sandy soils to decomposed granite. Stellenbosch

Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebanon' ...

is beginning to get a good reputation as a fine wine.

Stellenbosch University

Stellenbosch University is one of South Africa's leading

universities A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

. This institution has a rich history dating back to 1863 and has 10 faculties, including

Engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

Commerce Commerce is the large-scale organized system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions directly and indirectly related to the exchange (buying and selling) of goods and services among two or more parties within local, regional, nation ...

Science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

and Arts. The Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering is the only university department in the southern hemisphere which has successfully built a communications satellite Sunsat which was launched in 2000 and orbited the earth for three years. The University currently has about 29,000 students. White students in 2014, namely 18 636, constitute 63.4% of all students enrolled. Although the official language of the university is

, most post-graduate courses are presented in

. The university is in the process of introducing more

centered undergraduate courses following mass protest by the student body. The university council with the concurrence of the senate approved a new language policy on 22 June 2016 for implementation from 1 January 2017. Since the campuses are situated in the Western Cape, the university has committed to introducing multilingualism by using the province’s three official languages, namely

and isiXhosa.

List of suburbs

*Annandale *Arbeidslus *Brandwacht *

Cloetesville Stellenbosch (; )A Universal Pronounc ...

*Coetzenburg *

Dalsig Stellenbosch (; )A Universal Pronounc ...

*Dennesig *De Zalze *De Novo *Devon Valley *Die Boord, previously ''Rhodes Fruit Farms'' *Die Rant *Ida's Valley * Jamestown *Jonkershoek *Karindal * Kayamandi *Klapmuts *Koelenhof *Krigeville * Kylemore *Welbedaght *La Colline *Lanquedoc *Meerlust * Mostertsdrift *Onderpapegaaiberg, also known as ''Voëltjiesdorp'' *Paradyskloof *Plankenberg *Pniel *Raithby *

Rozendal Rozendal is a residential suburb of Stellenbosch since roughly the early 1970s. It forms the eastern border of the town together with Karindal. Stellenbosch is the second-oldest town in South Africa after Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , ...

*Simondium *Simonsrust *Simonswyk *Techno Park *Tennantville *Town central * Uniepark *Universiteitsoord *Vlottenburg *Weides *Welbedaght *Welgevonden

List of schools

* A.F. Louw Primary School *

Bloemhof High School Hoër Meisieskool Bloemhof is a public Afrikaans medium high school for girls, located in Stellenbosch in the Western Cape province of South Africa. History It was established in 1875 as an English girls' school. In 1903 three houses were acq ...

Bruckner De Villiers Primary School Josef Anton Bruckner (; 4 September 182411 October 1896) was an Austrian composer, organist, and music theorist best known for his symphonies, masses, Te Deum and motets. The first are considered emblematic of the final stage of Austro-Germ ...

Cloetesville High School Stellenbosch (; )A Universal Pronounc ...

Cloetesville Primary School Stellenbosch (; )A Universal Pronounc ...

Devonvallei Primary School Stellenbosch (; )A Universal Pronounc ...

* Eikestad Primary School * Idasvallei Primary School * Ikaya Primary School * JJ Rhode Primary School * Kayamandi Secondary School * Koelenhof Primary School *

Luckhoff Secondary School Lückhoff is a small merino sheep farming town in the Free State province of South Africa. It was established on the farm Koffiekuil in 1892 and named after a Dutch Reformed Church minister Reverend HJ Luckhoff. Nowadays the bulk of the sheep f ...

* Lynedoch Primary School *

Pieter Langeveldt Primary School Pieter is a male given name, the Dutch form of Peter. The name has been one of the most common names in the Netherlands for centuries, but since the mid-twentieth century its popularity has dropped steadily, from almost 3000 per year in 1947 to ...

Rhenish Primary School The Rhineland (german: Rheinland; french: Rhénanie; nl, Rijnland; ksh, Rhingland; Latinised name: ''Rhenania'') is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly its middle section. Term Historically, the Rhinelands ...

* Rietenbosch Primary School * Stellenbosch High School * Stellenbosch Primary School * Stellenzicht Senior Secondary * St. Idas R.C.Primary School *

Weber Gedenk Primary School Weber (, or ; German: ) is a surname of German language, German origin, derived from the noun meaning "weaving, weaver". In some cases, following migration to English-speaking countries, it has been anglicised to the English surname 'Webber' or e ...

Notable people

Ferdie Bergh Willem Ferdinand van Rheede van Oudtschoorn Bergh (2 November 1906 – 28 May 1973), better known as "Ferdie" Bergh, was a South African rugby union player.Cotton, p74Scrum.com player profile, retrieved 20 February 2010 Biography He was origina ...

– rugby player *

Kees Bruynzeel Cornelis ("Kees") Bruynzeel Jr. (February 19, 1900 in Rotterdam – August 1. 1980 in Greece) was a Dutch businessman, timber merchant and yachtsman. Early years Bruynzeel was the son of Cornelis Bruynzeel Sr., who founded a timber factory in 1897 ...

– Dutch businessman, timber merchant and yachtsman *

Dirk Coetsee Dirk Coetzee/Coetsee (1655 – 1725) was the Hoofdheemraad (Chancellor) of the District of Stellenbosch and Drakenstein in South Africa for most of the 1690s and early 1700s. He also served as captain of the Stellenbosch Infantry and deacon of th ...

– Chancellor (Hoofdheemraad) of the District of Stellenbosch and Drakenstein in South Africa for most of the 1690s and early 1700s * Danie Craven – rugby administrator * Giniel de Villiers – Rally driver * David Earl – composer and pianist *

Arnu Fourie Arnu Fourie (born 24 April 1985) is a South African Paralympian athlete who runs in the T44 class. His is a single-below-the-knee amputee. Life and career Fourie was born in Bloemfontein, and lost his left leg below the knee in a boating prop ...

– Paralympic athlete * Justin Harding - Golfer *

Omar Henry Omar Henry (born 23 January 1952) is a former cricketer who represented South Africa at international level, and also played for Scotland. He played in three Tests and three One Day Internationals for South Africa. He is notable for being the ...

– cricketer *

Daniel Hugo Dr. Daniel Hugo (born 26 February 1955 in Stellenbosch, South Africa) is a poet, translator, compiler and editor. He worked a specialist announcer / producer for Radio Sonder Grense, Radiosondergrense, the national Afrikaans radio service, and wa ...

– radio producer, lecturer and poet *

Charl Langeveldt Charl Kenneth Langeveldt (born 17 December 1974) is a South African cricket coach and former cricketer who is currently a bowling coach with the South Africa national cricket team. As a cricket player, he played all formats of the game. A right ...

– cricketer *

Lee Langeveldt Lee Langeveldt (born 10 November 1986) is a South African association footballer who plays for National First Division club Stellenbosch. Career Langeveldt is a goalkeeper and began his career at South African club Idas Valley. He was a produ ...

– football player *

D. F. Malan Daniël François Malan (; 22 May 1874 – 7 February 1959) was a South African politician who served as the fourth prime minister of South Africa from 1948 to 1954. The National Party implemented the system of apartheid, which enforc ...

– Prime Minister of South Africa from 1948 to 1954 * Jannie Marais (Johannes Henoch Marais) – mining magnate, politician and philanthropist who co-founded the multi-billion dollar media conglomerate Naspers and the University of Stellenbosch * JP Pietersen – rugby player * Paul Roos (rugby player), Paul Roos – South African rugby union captain * Anton Rupert – entrepreneur, businessman, conservationist * Johann Rupert – businessman *

Dana Snyman Dana Snyman is a South African journalist, writer and playwright. Snyman was born in Stellenbosch and matriculated from Nylstroom High School. He later followed a journalism course at the Pretoria Technikon before joining the Afrikaans newspap ...

– journalist, writer and playwright *

Conrad Stoltz Conrad Stoltz (born 23 October 1973) is a triathlete from South Africa. He is a four time XTERRA Triathlon World Champion and a three time ITU Cross Triathlon World Champion. Career Stoltz was born in Lydenburg, South Africa and calls Stellen ...

– 2-time Olympian, 3 time

Xterra The Nissan Xterra is a truck-based compact SUV manufactured and marketed by Nissan from 1999–2015 across two generations; the first (1999–2004) sharing a platform as well as front bumper, hood, A-pillar, windshield and front doors with the N ...

world champion *

Roger Telemachus Roger Telemachus (born 27 March 1973) is a former South African international cricketer. He has played 37 One Day Internationals and three Twenty20 Internationals for his country. International career In the famous 438-game played at the Wan ...

– cricketer *

Sampie Terreblanche Solomon Johannes "Sampie" Terreblanche (17 April 1933 – 17 February 2018) was a South African academic economist and writer, author of numerous economics books and was most famous for his ''History of Inequality in South Africa, 1652–2002'' ...

– Professor in Economics, co-founder of

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

* Richard Turner – philosopher *

Frederik van Zyl Slabbert Frederik van Zyl Slabbert (2 March 1940 – 14 May 2010) was a South African political analyst, businessman and politician. He is best known for having been the leader of the official opposition – the Progressive Federal Party (PFP) – i ...

– anti-apartheid Member of Parliament and leader of opposition, lecturer in sociology * Hendrik Verwoerd – Prime Minister of South Africa from 1958 to 1966

Coats of arms

The municipality currently uses a badge consisting of a fleur de lis and a cross issuing from a stylised bunch of grapes. In the past, the various local authorities used coats of arms. * Drostdy – The drostdy (1685–1827) was the local authority for the whole Stellenbosch district, including the city. In 1804, when the

was ruled by the

Batavian Republic The Batavian Republic ( nl, Bataafse Republiek; french: République Batave) was the successor state to the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands. It was proclaimed on 19 January 1795 and ended on 5 June 1806, with the accession of Louis Bona ...

, the government assigned an armorial seal to the drostdy. It depicted the shield of arms of

superimposed on an anchor representing Hope, on a golden background. In 1814, the British occupation authorities ordered the drostdyen to use the royal coat of arms instead.''Cape Town Gazette'' No 418 (15 January 1814). Van der Stel's arms were quartered: 1 two red towers on a golden background; 2 a

peacock Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera ''Pavo (genus), Pavo'' and ''Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female pea ...

on a red background; 3 three silver discs or balls stacked 1 over 2 on a red background; 4 a red tower on a golden background. In the centre was a smaller blue shield displaying six silver crescents (or, possibly, ribs) 2, 2, and 2. * Municipality (1) – The Stellenbosch municipality was formed in 1840, to administer the city, but not the rest of the district. Although it was not the legal successor to the drostdy, it adopted the old drostdy seal of arms. A few changes were made to the arms over the years: quarters 2 and 3 were changed from red to blue; the peacock was turned to a profile position; the three silver discs or balls were changed to golden rings; the central shield was changed from blue to black. Whether any of these changes was intentional, or whether they were the result of artistic errors, is unclear. * Municipality (2) – The municipal council had a new coat of armsnew coat of arms
/ref> designed by Michael Dawes in 1951. After some improvements, the

College of Arms The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional Officer of Arms, officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the ...

granted them on 26 June 1952. They were registered at the Bureau of Heraldry on 31 August 1979.National Archives of South Africa: Data of the Bureau of Heraldry
/ref> The new design was a golden shield displaying the three towers from the Van der Stel arms, and a red fess displaying the peacock between golden rings. The crest was an anchor entwined with oak leaves and acorns. The motto ''Fortis et superbus'' ("Strong and proud") was chosen. * Divisional council (1) – The divisional council, established in 1855, administered the rural areas outside the city. At some point, it adopted the plain Van der Stel arms, i.e. a golden shield displaying three red towers. Arms of the Divisional Council of Stellenbosch, WC, ZA

Arms of the Divisional Council of Stellenbosch, WC, ZA

* Divisional council (2) – The divisional council had its arms re-designed by Cornelis Pama in 1970, and registered them at the Bureau of Heraldry on 30 October 1970. The shield was divided down the centre into gold and red, and the three towers were counterchanged. A red tower was added as a crest. * ''Kaya Mandi'' – The local authority for the Black township of Kaya Mandi registered arms at the Bureau on 27 November 1987.

References

External links

Stellenbosch MunicipalityStellenbosch Tourism BureauEikestad Nuus
{{Authority control Wine regions of South Africa Populated places established in 1679 Populated places founded by Afrikaners Populated places in the Stellenbosch Local Municipality 1679 establishments in the Dutch Empire Populated places established by the Dutch East India Company

Prehistory

History

Population

Climate and geography

Sport

Viticulture and winemaking

Stellenbosch University

List of suburbs

List of schools

Notable people

Coats of arms

See also

References

External links