The beautiful town of Middelburg lies in the eastern region of the Great Karoo. Not only does the region dominate the landscape, but also makes Middelburg a typical example of Karoo architecture and hospitality.
As with nearly all towns in South Africa, Middelburg was founded by the Dutch-Reformed Church to cater for the ever expanding congregation. On the 6th of April 1852 it was decided to purchase the farm Driefontein for a sum of £3000 and on the 19th of May the new congregation and town was named Middelburg. This very apt name was chosen because Middelburg lies roughly in the middle of the congregations of Graaff-Reinet, Cradock, Colesberg, Steynsburg and Richmond. In 1913 the town received municipal status.
Middelburg is the ideal Karoo town to live in, as it has ample water from boreholes and has thus never had to implement usage restriction. Farming with merino sheep is the main economy, apart from the usual tourism. The history is rich, with several famous persons having ties to Middelburg by some way or another.
© A. van der Lingen, 2005
Van Der Merwe Avenue
© A. van der Lingen, 2005
© A. van der Lingen, 2005