The Heidelberg Heritage Association (HHA), in agreement with the National Heritage Council of South Africa, is planning to award blue plaques to historic houses and buildings in and around Heidelberg town.
A blue plaque is a heritage meme to honour people and places and serves as an award for a range of notable achievements, remote and recent history and fine architecture.
HHA acts as a forum to facilitate and coordinate participating organisations and interested parties with an interest or relation to the heritage value in and around the Heidelberg area. The town is rich in history and nostalgia and is home to buildings and houses more than a hundred years old.
“The plan is to get local businesses or homeowners of the heritage houses involved in sponsoring the blue plaques,” Tony Burisch, secretary of HHA said.
Heidelberg was established in 1862 as a trading station built by Heinrich Julius Ueckermann.
The town played an important part in South African history and served as the capital of the Zuid Afrikaansche Republic from 1880 to 1883. It is home to many buildings dating back to the period between 1890 and 1910. A concentration camp was built in Heidelberg during the Second Boer War to house Boer women and children. A monument to commemorate this was erected in the main cemetery in the late 1990s.
The rich history of events in and around the town makes Heidelberg an ideal tourist attraction, and the HHA is devoted to preserving the history of this town and its iconic buildings.
One of the historic buildings is the Heidelberg Police Station, which was built just after the Second Anglo Boer War as the Transvaal Hotel. The hotel was later demolished to make way for the police barracks that is now the police station. The old jail in Jordaan Street is another icon rich in history and was built in 1888. It will be the first building to receive a blue plaque.
“The HHA is very excited to declare some of the historic buildings in our town as heritage buildings. We are encouraging residents to follow our Facebook page, where we will announce which building will receive its plaque and when the official ceremony will take place,” Tony said.
Tony is well versed in the history of Heidelberg. He offers tours of the town and surrounding areas to residents or visitors keen to visit these sites or who want to know more about the town’s rich history.
Another well-known historic building is the Dutch Reformed Klip Kerk in HF Verwoerd Street, which celebrates 155 years this year. The Cape Dutch house at 66 Fenter Street will also receive a blue plaque as it was built in 1917.
During the Gold Rush after 1885, Heidelberg had 15 hotels and 35 drinking places.
For more information or to get involved with HHA or to book a tour, Tony can be contacted on 072 460 9663.
