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| Philippolis luscious town of the Free State ... | |
| A town that crawls deep under your skin. A place that embraces your soul. Where neighbours are still friends. A place where you can not only hear your own heartbeat but also the heartbeat of an era of history. Philippolis has the typical Karoo vegetation, an interesting wildlife and is a bird paradise. This town was one of the first settlements in the Free State (1823). It was also the headquarters of the Griquas (1826-1861) and you can still see the influence that they had on this unique town. The exceptional Karoo Houses - some of them declared national monuments - and the street names reflects the Griqua tradition. |
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Emily Hobhouse is one of the famous people that had a great
influence in Philippolis. She started a weaving school to help the
Boer woman and their families to recoup financially after the Anglo
Boer War. |
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 Adam
Kok, the famous Griqua Captain left his mark on Philippolis too.
His last dwelling place and horse pen are still great tourist
attractions.Then there is the Laurens van der Post Memorial Garden, the artist retreat and the waterlabirynth. Other attractions are the imposing Dutch Reformed Church with its Brinley and Vorster organ. The organ has more than 1 000 pipes. There are also the Griqua cannons
and the old ammunition depot. Witblits festival in April. This impressing town is not one-dimensional, it is a many sided experience that you will miss at your own expense! Get your things together. This little town - situated in the middle of South Africa - will receive you in any of its many historical and luxury guest houses and guest farms whose friendliness spills over into the town's streets. |
