Wemmer Pan is a lake and recreational area in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

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 ...

. It's located to the south of the city centre, in the suburb of

La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. With ...

History

"Pan" is an

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

South African English South African English (SAfrE, SAfrEng, SAE, en-ZA) is the set of English language dialects native to South Africans. History British settlers first arrived in the South African region in 1795, when they established a military holding op ...

word for a shallow lake. The Wemmer Pan was named after Mr Sam Wemmer. It was originally a quarry, and was later taken over by the City Deep Mine which required the water for mining purposes. Wemmer Pan is part of Pioneers' Park, which was built at the turn of the 20th century. Pioneers' Park was formally opened on 26 April 1924 by the Governor General, the

Earl of Athlone The title of Earl of Athlone has been created three times. History It was created first in the Peerage of Ireland in 1692 by William III of England, King William III for General Godard van Reede, 1st Earl of Athlone, Baron van Reede, Lord of ...

, on land bought by the City Council. The park is named in memory of the founders of Johannesburg and of the gold mining industry of which it is the centre.

Amenities

Wemmer Pan is home to a number of rowing clubs, including Wemmer Pan Rowing Club (established in 1911), and hosts a number of short course regattas, including the annual Wemmer Sprint Regatta. It is also home the annual Dragon Boat Corporate Spring Festival Regatta. The park provides space for picnicking and water activities, and it once again boasts illuminated musical fountains. Johannesburg's

Turffontein Racecourse Turffontein Racecourse is a race track in South Africa for Thoroughbred horse racing founded in 1887 at Turffontein, Gauteng by the Johannesburg Turf Club. The facility has both an inner and outer grass track. The racecourse is host to the Gr ...

is opposite Wemmer Pan. On the banks of the lake is Santarama Miniland, which contains about 80 scale models of notable buildings and locations from around South Africa, on a scale of 1:25. These include a scale model of

Robben Island Robben Island ( af, Robbeneiland) is an island in Table Bay, 6.9 kilometres (4.3 mi) west of the coast of Bloubergstrand, north of Cape Town, South Africa. It takes its name from the Dutch word for seals (''robben''), hence the Dutch/Afrik ...

, where

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...

was held prisoner, the

Union Buildings The Union Buildings ( af, Uniegebou) form the official seat of the South African Government and also house the offices of the President of South Africa. The imposing buildings are located in Pretoria, atop Meintjieskop at the northern end of ...

and the Hillbrow Tower. A full-scale replica of

Jan van Riebeeck Johan Anthoniszoon "Jan" van Riebeeck (21 April 1619 – 18 January 1677) was a Dutch navigator and colonial administrator of the Dutch East India Company. Life Early life Jan van Riebeeck was born in Culemborg, as the son of a surgeon. He ...

's ship, the Dromedarus, takes visitors on a free boat ride on the lake. Also included are a mini-golf course, miniature railroads, a miniature harbor and a cableway. Next door is the

James Hall Transport Museum James Hall Transport Museum (JHTM) is a transport museum that aims to preserve and promote the history of over 400 years of transport in South Africa in particular, and Africa in general. It is the largest transport museum in Africa. It is loc ...

, which is the largest transport museum in Africa. It was established in 1964 by Jimmie Hall, and it preserves and promotes the history of over 400 years of transport in South Africa in particular and Africa in general. The collection includes over 400 years’ worth of various modes of land transport that range from steam-driven vehicles, trains, trams and trolley buses, to animal-drawn carriages, early bicycles and cars. The courtyard houses a number of steam vehicles, some of them still in working order.

Other events

Serial killer

Cedric Maake Maoupa Cedric Maake (born 1965), known as The Wemmer Pan Killer, is a South African serial killer who was convicted of 27 murders but was suspected of killing many more. Biography Cedric Maake’s father died when he was in Standard 8 (now � ...

, who committed at least 27 murders throughout 1996 and 1997, was known as the Wemmer Pan Killer because a number of his victims were found in the vicinity.

References

{{Greater Johannesburg Parks in Johannesburg Lakes of South Africa Reservoirs in South Africa