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21-689: Wemmershoek Dam is a rock-fill type dam located on the Wemmershoek River near Franschhoek and Paarl in South Africa . It was constructed between 1953 and 1957 on behalf of the City of Cape Town . With a reservoir capacity of 58,644 megalitres (2,071.0 × 10 ^  cu ft), it provides approximately 6.5% of the storage capacity of the Western Cape Water Supply System which supplies Cape Town and surrounding areas. As early as 1882

42-591: A sheaf of corn and a grape vine, representing agriculture and viticulture; and a silk and cloth weavers' spinning wheel, representing their industry. The water pond, reflecting the colonnade behind it, expresses the undisturbed tranquility of mind and spiritual peace which the Huguenots refugees gained in South Africa after having experienced deadly religious persecution in France. The Huguenot Memorial Museum adjacent to

63-587: Is dedicated to the cultural influences that Huguenots have brought to the Cape Colony (and ultimately the whole of South Africa) after their immigration during the 17th and 18th centuries. These French and Belgian Protestants were fleeing violent religious persecution, especially in Roman Catholic France. The monument was designed by J.C. Jongens, completed in 1945, and inaugurated by Dr. A.J. van der Merwe on 17 April 1948. The three high arches symbolize

84-583: Is known to be very interesting with several independent boutiques, menswear shops and quality homeware stores. The art galleries are plentiful and excellent. Franschhoek's weekend Bastille Festival has been celebrated every July since 1994, the year of the first South African general election with universal adult suffrage marking the end of the apartheid era. Franschhoek is a twin town or sister city of: Huguenot Monument The Huguenot Monument in Franschhoek , Western Cape , South Africa ,

105-651: Is shown today by the Huguenot Monument which stands at the end of the town. The nearby Huguenot Memorial Museum adjacent to the monument explores the history of the French Huguenots who settled in the Cape, and especially in the Franschhoek Valley. On exhibition are the various tools they used to make wine, the clothes they wore, and interpretation of their culture and goals. The Cape Dutch architecture in much of

126-471: The Cape Colony 's hydrographic surveyor reported on the potential of the Wemmershoek valley for water supply. In 1899 the municipal council of Woodstock , then an independent suburb of Cape Town, began purchasing land at Wemmershoek with the aim of building a reservoir. In 1907 the councils of Woodstock, Mowbray , Rondebosch and Claremont obtained a private bill from the colonial parliament authorising

147-543: The Khoisan peoples . They are now mostly extinct, but their descendants continue to live in the area as mixed race (Khoisan and French/Dutch) people. In 1685, King Louis XIV banned Protestantism in France. Hundreds of French Huguenots were forced to flee their country. In 1688, almost 300 French Huguenots arrived at the Cape of Good Hope by ship and were given the Franschhoek Valley to settle. The French Huguenot refugees populated

168-734: The Virgin Mary in Roman Catholic iconography, which depict her with one foot resting on the globe. The fleur-de-lis on the woman's robe represents noble spirit and character; it also was long the chief symbol of the French monarchy, still in power at the time of the Huguenot exodus. The southern tip of the globe shows symbols relating to the Huguenots: the Bible, for their faith; a harp, for their art and culture;

189-558: The Holy Trinity: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. On top of the arches is the sun of righteousness and above that, the Huguenot cross of their Christian faith. The central female figure, created by Coert Steynberg , personifies religious freedom, holding a bible in one hand and a broken chain in the other. She is casting off her cloak of oppression. Her position on top of the globe shows her spiritual freedom and parallels some representations of

210-638: The Steenbras catchment in the Hottentots Holland mountains. A ratepayers' referendum decided on Steenbras which led to the construction of the Steenbras Dam starting in 1918. After the Second World War, with the growth of Cape Town's urban population, the city again needed to find an additional water supply. The Wemmershoek scheme was revived, and a new private bill was passed by Parliament in 1951 for

231-551: The Wemmershoek Mountains covers an area of 86 square kilometres (33 sq mi). An intake tower draws water into a pipeline which supplies a water treatment plant at the foot of the dam. Releases of water into the Wemmershoek River are by way of a gate-controlled spillway with a maximum flow of 1,065 cubic metres per second (37,600 cu ft/s). Franschhoek Franschhoek's original inhabitants are

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252-481: The area. Once a quiet country retreat, the originally French settled village and region began experiencing a boom in the 1990s, and property prices increased. The ideal summer weather, snowy peaks in winter and proximity to Cape Town have turned Franschhoek (le coin Français) into one of South Africa's most sought after residential addresses. The construction of the new English-medium private Bridge House School outside

273-417: The construction of a larger dam. Construction began in 1953 and was completed in 1957. The dam wall is of rock-fill type with a clay core. It is 518 metres (1,699 ft) long and 55 metres (180 ft) tall at its highest point. The dam impounds a reservoir of 58,644 megalitres (2,071.0 × 10 ^  cu ft) capacity which, when full, covers an area of 296 hectares (730 acres). Its catchment area in

294-462: The construction of a small dam at Wemmershoek. In 1913 the four suburban councils were incorporated into the City of Cape Town , which took over their rights at Wemmershoek. Water shortages demanded that Cape Town, which had until then relied on water supplies from Table Mountain , find a source of water from outside the Cape Peninsula. The two leading candidates were the Wemmershoek catchment and

315-528: The first established farms — most of which still retain their original Cape Dutch farm houses today. These farms have grown into renowned wineries . Many of the surnames in the area are of French origin, e.g. Du Toit, Marais, Du Plessis, Malan, Malherbe, and Joubert. The French settlers tried fiercely to hold onto their language, but were forced over generations by the Dutch and British colonialists through schooling to integrate into local society. This heritage

336-529: The monument explores the history of the French Huguenots who settled in the Cape, and especially in the Franschhoek Valley. On exhibition are the various tools they used to make wine, clothes they wore, and interpretation of their culture and goals. Also on the site are wine cellars joined by a colonnade bearing the words Post Tenebras Lux ("After darkness, light" in Latin). A motto of Protestants during

357-631: The route until diesel locomotives took over in the 1970s and then, in the 1990s, as the need for rail transport decreased, service along the railway line was discontinued. The branch line was reinstated in 2012 by a private operator and now sees service as the Franschhoek Wine Tram, a tourism project utilizing newly constructed double-decker trams modeled after the Blackpool Corporation Tramway's Double Deck Balcony Tramcar of circa 1923 to transport tourists between wine estates in

378-571: The valley, establishing farms and businesses, bringing with them their French culture and experience in agriculture. The name of the area soon changed to le Coin Français ("the French Corner"), and later to Franschhoek (Dutch for "French Corner"), with many of the settlers naming their new farms after the areas they had left behind in France. La Motte, Champagne, La Cotte, Cabrière, La Provence, Bourgogne, La Terra de Luc and La Dauphine were among some of

399-408: The village has also attracted many urban dwellers to the village. Franschhoek is notable for having some of the top restaurants in the country within its borders. This fact, together with the strong wine culture, and pristine natural and architectural beauty has made Franschhoek into what many describe as the "food and wine capital" of South Africa. This village hosted one of the top 50 restaurants in

420-409: The village is unspoiled, as restrictions have been placed on the extent of renovations and new construction in order to preserve the spirit of the original French settlers to the area. In 1904, a 28 km (17 mi) branch line was built between Paarl and Franschhoek to serve as an alternative to ox-drawn carts for farmers wanting to get their produce to market. Steam locomotives operated along

441-514: The world The Tasting Room , according to the "S.Pellegrino world's 50 best restaurants"-ranking and a famous Belgian Pâtisserie for Belgian pralines . The town hosts a number of notable restaurants and wineries such as Haute Cabrière . The attributes of the village have turned Franschhoek into a popular tourist destination, with dozens of bed & breakfasts and small cottages available for accommodation. The shopping experience in Franschhoek

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