Tuesday, April 09, 2024

Elim, in the heart of the Agulhas Triangle

Our route to the Agulhas Festival took us through the historic village called Elim
It has its roots in wine production, something we believe that too few people know
it is appropriate that the Agulhas Wine Festival took place on an Elim estate

We can do no better than to quote Wikipedia to tell you the basic facts about it:

"Elim is a village on the Agulhas Plain in the Western Cape of South Africa. It was established in 1824 by German missionaries as a Moravian mission station. When selecting the location, the missionaries placed a high priority on the proximity of water and on terrain that was suitable for planting vines so that wine for communion could be produced. As well as preaching the Gospel, the missionaries taught the villagers a variety of trades and skills. Elim's thatchers continue to be renowned for their craftsmanship

The village is picturesque and has changed little over the years. It is filled with whitewashed cottages, fruit trees and fynbos. All the roads in the village lead to the thatch roofed church. The community, still mainly Moravian, consists of farmers, farm workers and artisans.

Elim is becoming known for the export of fynbos, and as an emerging area in the production of wine"

These photographs were taken on a miserable, damp Saturday; there were very few people out braving the weather

The quality of the thatching on this bus stop gives a good indication of the craftsmanship in the community 

a farm with horses at the edge of the village


The village as one sees it when entering from the Bredasdorp end

Brightly coloured thatched cottages line the main road

A row of immaculate thatched cottages

A rare tin roof

A neighbourly chat



This cottage could be 200 years old, but still in great condition

The immaculate state of most of these houses is a testament to the pride of their inhabitants
A wonderful example for so many other villages and townships in South Africa to follow

The Moravian church is the heart of the village and stands at the top of the main road through the village

These photographs were taken as we drove through and reflect only a few of the lovely local cottages
A better opportunity to see the village will happen in August when they celebrate their 200th anniversary
We could not find a web link, but more information may be found on their Facebook page


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