Grahamstown
Municipality
Municipality: Makana Local Municipality
District Municipality: Cacadu District Municipality
Grahamstown Tourism Bureau
Church Square
Grahamstown
Phone number: 046-622-3241
Fax number: 046-622-3266
Email:
Email inquiry
Web:
See the website
Grahamstown is named after Colonel John Graham, founder of the town
Attractions
Also see the
neighbouring towns
Grahamstown hosts 6 annual festivals, such as the National Arts Festival. The 1820 Settlers National Monument, built in the 1960s, is located on Gunfire Hill next to Fort Selwyn, built in 1836. The Observatory Museum houses a camera obscura. The Albany Museum includes several other museums focusing on literature, science and technology. The Botanic Gardens were founded in the 1850s, focusing on cycads. The Thomas Baines Reserve, 13Km from town, hosts a variety of indigeneous game species. The Great Fish River Reserve lies about 35Km away on the Fort Beaufort road (R67).
TOP
History
Grahamstown was founded in 1812 as a military outpost during the Frontier Wars on an abandoned farm, Rietfontein, owned by Lucas Meyer. Several blockhouses were built along the Fish River between European settlers and Xhosa tribes who were migrating from the north. In the 1830s Grahamstown was the second largest town in South Africa. It became a municipality in 1837.
TOP
Climate
Today's
Weather
Report for Grahamstown
TOP