South Africa # 39; s German Jewish Heritage | Arts.21
Ah, the joys of the Oktoberfest The delicious Bavarian bratwurst and wonders eisbein tingling massive beer mugs, the oompah bands, lederhosen and sauerkraut the above, the Gemütlichkeit Good vibes pretzel everyone.
No, we are not in Munich, where this wonderful festival started in 1810, we are in the heart of Cape Town, at a German festival in the VA Waterfront Or we could be at a drinking hole in Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape , a province named villages Hamburg, Berlin, Braunschweig and Stutterheim dot the landscape.
Of course, Oktoberfests are celebrated by the Germans and other party animals everywhere, but somehow, here in South Africa, a beer festival is more fun because it also announced the arrival of summer.
The German diaspora is alive and well in South Africa, as social clubs, German schools and festivals Moreover, the presence in the Eastern Cape of automotive giants Volkswagen and Daimler AG manufacturers of the Mercedes range brought upliftment important in the region.
German history in South Africa really started with the arrival of the German British Legion They came with their wives, many of them quickly gained in Britain, and were well established in South Africa in 1857 but they were soldiers, not farmers, and soon most of them headed for other campaigns abroad.
A year later, five full ships true German farmers and their families arrived and it was this community that has left a lasting mark on the German colonies of Cape Similar oriental took place in what was then Natal and even the Transvaal where a village called Kroondal still speaks mostly German.
Johannesburg has a strong German presence, and his German School, founded in 1890, is one of the oldest schools in the country The South African chapter of the Goethe Institute provides information about cultural, social and political Germany it also focuses on local market development, promotion of the German language and promotes information changes with German organizations.
Modern Germany remains one of the strongest trading partners of South Africa and the number of German tourists coming to South Africa is the second UK Prost.
Driving west from East London, you will find the cities of Berlin, Braunschweig, Stutterheim and Dohne - all of German descent down the coast of East London is the seaside village of Hamburg.
In KwaZulu-Natal, driving north from Pietermaritzburg to see traces of German settlement in places like Wartburg and New Hanover.
Rent a car from East London and Pietermaritzburg, get a good map and head.
German history in South Africa, German, history, south africa.