Colesberg

Afrikaans name: Colesberg

The Dutch Reformed Church in Colesberg

Photo © Johan van Zyl

Northern Cape

The Colesberg area is sheep farming country and over 500,000 hectares of land are devoted to this activity. Merino sheep are of particular importance. It also has some stud-farms breeding race horses.

The town was founded in 1830 and was initially called Toverberg which was the name of a prominent hill in the area. The hill is visible from 40 km away and is now called Coleskop while the town was later renamed Colesberg after Sir Galbraith Cole, Governor of the Cape Colony.

The area around Colesberg saw a number of battles during the Anglo-Boer war and there are a number of different sites which can be visited. These include Grenadier Guard Rock, Plato Camp, Suffolk Koppie and the site of the Concentration Camp which is now in ruins.

The town has a number of historical buildings icnluding the Colesberg-Kemper Museum.

Been to Colesberg? What's it like?

A quiet street in Colesberg

Photo © Johan van Zyl

References and further reading

The Pictorial Motoring Atlas of South Africa - Author: Maxwell Leigh - Published: 1987 - Page: 51

Southern African Birdfinder - Author: Cohen, Spottiswoode and Rossouw - Published: 2006 - Page: 95

Southern African Birdfinder - Author: Cohen, Spottiswoode and Rossouw - Published: 2006 - Page: 97

Southern Africa from the Highway - Author: AA RSA - Published: 1991 - Page: 122

Southern Africa from the Highway - Author: AA RSA - Published: 1991 - Page: 235

Country Life - Issue 226 - Author: - Published: 2015 - Page: 128

Country Life - Issue 246 - Author: - Published: 2017 - Page: 66

go! - Issue 172 - Author: - Published: 2020 - Page: 58

On Route - A region by region guide to South Africa - Author: B.P.J. Erasmus - Published: 1995 - Page: 313

On Route - Explore South Africa region by region - 3rd edition - Author: B.P.J. Erasmus - Published: 2014 - Page: 159

Readers Digest Illustrated Guide to Southern Africa - 4th edition - Author: - Published: 1986 - Page: 80

Conollys Guide to Southern Africa - 2nd edition - Author: Denis Conolly - Published: 1982 - Page: 129

Book of the Road - 4th edition - Author: MapStudio - Published: 2019 - Page: 114

For more info: Siyabona Africa

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