Ermelo

Afrikaans name: Ermelo

Ermelo CBD

Photo © Steven Herbert

Mpumalanga

Although the area around Ermelo has ruins dating back to about 1400 AD, the towns history can be traced back to 1870. Frans Lion Cachet, a Reverend from the Dutch Reformed Church, established a congregation in the area. Cachet had been inspired by Hermanus Willem Witteveen who lived in Ermelo in Netherlands and he named the new town after the Dutch city. Today Ermelo has a population of around 85,000 people.

During the second Boer War the town was almost flattened by the British. It is said that only one house was left standing. A magnificent statue was erected in the town to commemorate the men that gave their lives during the Anglo-Boer War.

The area surrounding Ermelo is used for a number of different types of farming. Amongst others there is wool, cattle, potatoes and maize. Mines in the area produce coal, torbanite and anthracite.

The town does not offer too much in the way of attractions for visitors but it is serviced by three major roads and does offer easy access to a number of attractions within an hours drive.

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References and further reading

The Pictorial Motoring Atlas of South Africa - Author: Maxwell Leigh - Published: 1987 - Page: 123

On Route - Explore South Africa region by region - 3rd edition - Author: B.P.J. Erasmus - Published: 2014 - Page: 302

Readers Digest Illustrated Guide to Southern Africa - 4th edition - Author: - Published: 1986 - Page: 221

Southern Africa from the Highway - Author: AA RSA - Published: 1991 - Page: 24

On Route - A region by region guide to South Africa - Author: B.P.J. Erasmus - Published: 1995 - Page: 173

Conollys Guide to Southern Africa - 2nd edition - Author: Denis Conolly - Published: 1982 - Page: 291

Book of the Road - 4th edition - Author: MapStudio - Published: 2019 - Page: 116

Mpumalanga - Ermelo

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