Paarl

Paarl (/ˈpɑrl/; Afrikaans: [ˈpɛːrəl]; derived from Parel, meaning Pearl in Dutch[2]) is a town with 191,013 inhabitants in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is the third oldest town and European settlement in the Republic of South Africa (after Cape Town and Stellenbosch) and the largest town in the Cape Winelands. Due to the growth of the Mbekweni township, it is now a de facto urban unit with Wellington. It is situated about 60 kilometres (37 mi) northeast of Cape Town in the Western Cape Province and is renowned for its haunting scenic beauty and deep viticulture and fruit growing heritage.

Paarl is the seat of the Drakenstein Local Municipality; although not part of the Cape Town metropolitan area, it falls within its economic catchment. Paarl is unusual in South Africa in that the name of the place is pronounced differently in English and Afrikaans. An unusual feature of the name of the town is that Afrikaners customarily attach the definite article to it: people say in die Paarl ("in the Paarl"), rather than in Paarl.

Paarl gained international attention when, on 11 February 1990, Nelson Mandela walked out of Victor Verster Correctional Centre (now known as Drakenstein Correctional Centre) in Paarl ending 27 years of imprisonment and beginning the march to South Africa's post-apartheid era and multi-racial elections.[3] Mandela spent three years in prison here living in a private house within the walls. Today, a bronze statue of Mandela stands outside the prison.

Paarl hosted a match from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003. The headquarters of Ceres Fruit Juices are located in the city, although its namesake, Ceres valley and source of much of the fruit, is around one hour's drive to the northeast.

The district is particularly well known for its Pearl Mountain or "Paarl Rock". This huge granite rock is formed by three rounded outcrops that make up Paarl Mountainand has been compared in majesty to Uluru (formerly known as Ayers Rock) in Australia. (However, they are not geologically similar. Paarl Rock consists of intrusive igneous rock, while Uluru is a sedimentary remnant).

Paarl from the summit of Paarl Mountain, looking across to the Klein-Drakenstein and Du Toitskloof Mountains

Contents
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 * 1 History
 * 2 Demography
 * 3 Tourist attractions
 * 4 Districts
 * 5 Schools
 * 6 Notable residents
 * 7 See also
 * 8 References
 * 9 External links

History[edit]
The area that is now known as Paarl was first inhabited by the Khoikhoi and San people. The Peninsular Khoikhoi people and the Cochoqua people lived in this area divided by the Berg River Valley. The Cochaqua were cattle herding people and among the richest of the Khoi tribes. They had between 16,000-18,000 members and originally called Paarl Mountain, Tortoise Mountain.[4]

The Dutch East India Company under the leadership of Jan van Riebeeck established meat trading relationships with the Khoikhoi people on the Table Bay coastline. In 1657, in search of new trading relationships inland, Abraham Gabemma saw a giant granite rock glistening in the sun after a rainstorm and named it "de Diamondt en de Peerlberg” (Diamond and Pearl Mountain) from which Paarl is derived.[2][5] Gabemma (often also spelled Gabbema) was the Fiscal (public treasurer) for the settlement on the shores of Table Bay. The "diamonds" disappeared from the name and it became known simply as Pearl Rock or Pearl Mountain.

In 1687, Governor Simon van der Stel gave title to the first colonial farms in the area to "free burghers". The following year, the French Huguenots arrived in theWestern Cape and began to settle on farms in the area.[4] The fertile soil and the Mediterranean-like climate of this region provided perfect conditions for farming. The settlers planted orchards, vegetable gardens and above all, vineyards.[6] Thus began Paarl's long and continuing history as a major wine and fruit producing area of South Africa.

The arrival of the European settlers brought on conflict with the Khoikhoi people, as land and water resources began to be contested and the Khoi traditions of communal land use came in conflict with the settler's concept of private property. The Khoi peoples were defeated in local war and were further decimated by European diseases. The population scattered inland toward the Orange River or became laborers on settler farms.[4]

Demography[edit]
In the 2001 census Paarl's population was recorded as being 82,713 people in 20,138 households, in a land area of 32.2 square kilometres (12.4 sq mi). 67.8% of the inhabitants described themselves as "Coloured", 21.2% as "White", 10.5% as "Black African", and 0.5% as "Indian or Asian". 85.5% spoke Afrikaans as their first language, 8.5% spoke Xhosa, and 5.2% spoke English.[7]

Tourist attractions[edit]
Paarl Rock

Paarl Rock in foreground with the town behind it and Du Toit's Peak towering behind

Afrikaanse Taalmonumentin Paarl

Like many towns in the Cape Winelands, Paarl is home to a prosperous community, with many well maintained and attractive Cape Dutch houses, beautiful gardens and streets lined with old oak trees.

Paarl boasts a unique cultural attraction: it was here that the foundations of the Afrikaans language were laid by the Genootskap van Regte Afrikaners. The "Afrikaanse Taalmonument" (monument to the Afrikaans language) on the slopes of Paarl Mountain, the Language Museum (Taalmuseum) and the Afrikaans Language Route through Dal Josaphat are memorials to this achievement.

The former headquarters of the wine industry in South Africa is also situated here.: This was the famous "Co-operative Wine Growers' Association" (better known by its Afrikaans initials KWV). KWV became a South African institution that has acquired an international reputation based on its unique achievements and its imprint of quality on the local wine industry. Over the past decade, however, KWV has been privatized and no longer has an administrative role in the South African wine industry. (KWV's main wine production and maturation facilities are on its Paarl premises, while its brandy production takes place in Worcester and grape juice concentrate production in Upington in theNorthern Cape.)

The town and its surroundings attract many visitors with an array of activities and interests. There are magnificent Cape Dutch buildings (17-19th Century), scenic drives, hiking trails, excellent restaurants and the Paarl wine route, with its many wine tasting opportunities.

The Paarl Rock itself is these days a popular Mecca for rock climbers. However, in the pioneering period of rock climbing in South Africa, the mountain was ignored or shunned because its steep faces were so smooth and unfissured that climbers could find no place to attach "runners" or anchor points for belays. The first climbing routes up the rock were pioneered in 1969 by J.W.Marchant and G. Athiros, the former from the University of Cape Town Mountain and Ski Club. Soon afterwards Marchant and John Knight established a few routes on which the rope was run out for 100 m (330 ft) or more with no protection whatsoever.[8] This was in the days before bolting was possible and these achievements are still held in high regard today. Nowadays protection is afforded by bolts in the granite and there are on Paarl Rock a few dozen spectacular, beautiful and very hard routes that attract the best climbers of the current generation. (All of these climbs remain dangerous for the inexperienced.) A guide book for these routes was written in 2006 by Stewart & Scott Noy who lived at the foot of the mountain and were developing many of the new routes at the time.

Districts[edit]
The town is basically divided in six different areas, namely:

Courtrai (in the southern part of town and including the wealthy suburbs), Northern Paarl (including the areas of Groenvlei and Lemoenkloof), Paarl-East, Central Paarl (generally known as upper-paarl and also containing wealthy suburbs), Denneburg (in the south east of the town), and Vrykyk (in the south).

Schools[edit]
The town boasts some of the best academic schools in the country including Paarl Gimnasium High School (est. 1858), La Rochelle Girls' High School (est.1860), Paarl Boys' High School (est.1868), Paarl Girls' High and New Orleans Secondary School. Paarl Girls' High was placed 17th in the National Senior Certificate's "Excellence in academic performance" awards in 2012.[9]

Notable residents[edit]

 * Archie Crail - writer
 * Stephanus Jacobus du Toit - Taalstryder (language warrior)
 * Jacob Daniël du Toit (Totius) - (Born Paarl 1877) poet and Taalstryder
 * Jean de Villiers - rugby union player
 * David James - actor
 * Wayne Julies - rugby union player
 * Elsa Joubert - author
 * Eugène Marais - author and poet
 * Karel Schoeman - author
 * Marius Charl Joubert - rugby union player
 * Justin Lee Ontong - cricketer Cape Cobras
 * Gurthro Steenkamp - rugby union player
 * Willem de Waal - rugby union player
 * Chester Mornay Williams - rugby union player
 * Louis Theodor Weichardt - founder and leader of the Greyshirts
 * Nelson Mandela - released from Victor Vester Prison in Paarl on 11 February 1990
 * Ryk Neethling - swimmer and Olympian