Graaff-Reinet was established in 1786 and is the 4th oldest town in South Africa and the oldest town in the Eastern Cape Province. It was established to bring law & order, religion and education to the many Dutch farmers on the Eastern Frontier. It was named after the then Dutch East Indian Company Governor of the Cape; Cornelius Jacob van der Graaff and his wife Cornelia whose maiden name was Reinet.It is renown for it's architectural heritage and has more national monuments (over 220)than any other town in South Africa. It was once one of the largest centres in the Cape Colony as it was on the direct route to the minefields of the interior. Today it still functions as an important farming centre with the raising of Merino sheep, Angora goats, Ostriches and Game being the main activities in this area of the eastern Great Karoo. It is also well known for the nearby Valley of Desolation which today forms part of the newly established Camdeboo National Park of about 15 000ha.
Chuch Street is the main street of the town.
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Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Graaff-Reinet - updated May 2024
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Graaff-Reinet Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
