Modimolle

Modimolle means Place of the Spirits, or according to some, "The Spirits have eaten".

Attractions

Also see the neighbouring towns

Modimolle (population just under 50'000, and previously known as Nylstroom), is 12Km west of the N1 route between Bela-Bela (the old Warmbaths) and Mookgopong (the old Potgietersrus). Modimolle is about 135Km north of Pretoria, and about 120Km south of Polokwane (the old Pietersburg).

A Dutch Reformed Church was built in 1889 and was used as a hospital during the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902).

Modimolle Museum

The Modimolle Museum is a cultural and historical museum, and housed in the home of JG Strijdom, one of the Apartheid Government's leaders, who practiced law here, and represented this region in the then government. He lived in this house for about 20 years.

The Waterberg Biosphere

Modimolle lies at the southern edge of the Waterberg Massif in Limpopo province. The Waterberg Biosphere is about 15'000 square kilometers and a UNESCO designated Biosphere Reserve. It lies within the WWF Bushveld ecoregion.

Nylsvlei Nature Reserve

The Nylsvlei Nature Reserve is on the largest floodplain in South Africa that is host to up to 80'000 birds during the rainy season. It is one of the best bird watching spots in South Africa. The reserve is north of Nylstroom.

Donkerpoort Dam

The Donkerpoort Dam 11km northwest of the town. Fishing can be done here -- carp, bream, black bass and barbel.

Things to do

Rock climbing, extreme sky diving, 4X4 and quad trails, hiking trails, birding, fishing, boating, horse riding, golf.

History

The original name Modimolle either means Place of the Spirits, or according to some, "The Spirits have eaten", apparently after some custom of an old local tribe who sacrificed humans to the ancestors by throwing the victims off a cliff of Kranskop (meaning "Cliff Hill").

The first Europeans to travel in this area belonged to a religious zealot group called the Jerusalem Trekkers, who wished to migrate to the Christian Holy Land. A nearby hill which looks a bit like a pyramid was mistaken for one in Egypt, and they thought the little river in the area that was flowing north and called Maghaliquain or MaghaHquain, was the Nile River, and called their settlement Nylstroom (meaning Nile Stream) [see eg. Aspects of Nature in Different Lands and Different Climates By Alexander von Humboldt, David M Knight; Scientific Travellers 1790-1877].

The first town was laid out in 1866 on the farm Rietvallei, owned by Ernest Collins. The original western town was called Nylstroom but in 2002 it was renamed to Modimolle.

During the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902), in 1901, a concentration camp was established in Nylstroom. About 550 women and children died in this camp.

The second-last Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa, JG Strydom, practiced law in Nylstroom, and was involved in politics from the 1920s until 1958, when he died as Prime Minister.

JG Strydom (1893 — 1958)

Artists

Some artists who lived in Nylstroom are Erich Mayer (born in Germany in 1876 - 1960) and Pierneef (1886 – 1957).

Economy

Tourism and wildlife; Agriculture and farming: fruit - citrus, grapes, peaches and watermelons; and cattle.

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