Hermanus
Sign in to savethumb|View of Hermanus and Grotto Beach from Rotary Way. Hermanus (; originally called Hermanuspietersfontein, but shortened in 1902 as the name was too long for the postal service), is a town on the southern coast of the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is known for Southern Right whale watching during the southern winter to spring seasons, and is a popular retirement location.
Key facts
- Settlement.name
- Hermanus
- Settlement.image_caption
- Clockwise from top: Panoramic view of Hermanus, the Old Harbour, Hermanus coastline, view from Rotary Way.
- Settlement.pushpin_map
- South Africa Western Cape#South Africa#Africa
- Settlement.subdivision_type
- Country
- Settlement.subdivision_name
- South Africa
- Settlement.subdivision_type1
- Province
- Settlement.subdivision_name1
- Western Cape
- Settlement.subdivision_type2
- District
- Settlement.subdivision_name2
- Overberg
- Settlement.subdivision_type3
- Municipality
- Settlement.subdivision_name3
- Overstrand
- Settlement.subdivision_type4
- Main Place
- Settlement.established_title
- Established
- Settlement.leader_title
- Councillor
- Settlement.area_total_km2
- 17.03
- Settlement.population_total
- 5610
- Settlement.population_as_of
- 2011
- Settlement.population_density_km2
- auto
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
15 sectionsContents
- History
- Location
- Climate
- Facilities
- Environment
- Beaches
- Floral diversity
- Bird watching
- Whales and whale-spotting
- Whale festival
- Gallery
- Notable residents
- See also
- References
- External links
thumb|View of Hermanus and Grotto Beach from Rotary Way. Hermanus (; originally called Hermanuspietersfontein, but shortened in 1902 as the name was too long for the postal service), is a town on the southern coast of the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is known for Southern Right whale watching during the southern winter to spring seasons, and is a popular retirement location.
==History== Hermanus Pieters () was a Dutch teacher who arrived in Cape Town in 1815. He was recruited by Dutch-speaking farmers who disliked that English was the only language used in all government schools. He settled in Caledon, but taught Dutch to farmers in a wide area around that town, including the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. He often vacationed at the spring ("fontein") in present-day Hermanus, where he fished and grazed his sheep, the place eventually became known as "Hermanus Pieters se Fonteyn". He died before the village Hermanuspietersfontein existed. 65 years after his death the postmaster decided to abbreviate the name to Hermanus.