The town of Lydenburg, in Mpumalanga Province, was founded
in 1850 by Voortrekkers under leadership of Andries Potgieter. They
had abandoned their first settlement, Ohrigstad, after much
hardship and sickness because of malaria and settled here, naming
the town Lydenburg, which means "place of suffering". It was once
the capital of its own independent republic, and still boasts some
of the best preserved Zuid Afrikaanse and old Transvaal
architecture in the country. Driving down Church street one can
admire a lot of these old buildings . . .
The Voortrekker Church, situated on the corner of Kerk
and Kantoor streets, was completed in 1853. It is the oldest church
outside of the Cape Province and the 2nd oldest church in the
country. In 1879 the original gables were removed, the windows were
altered to Gothic style and the thatched roof was replaced with one
of corrugated iron. In 1894 this church was replaced by the nearby
Dutch Reformed Church to which services were transferred. In 1973
the church was declared a National Monument and was restored to its
original style with the aid of a pen sketch drawn by Richter in
1867 and an illustration published in 'The Graphic' of 1876.
The Dutch Reformed Church is situated on Church Square
between Lange and Kantoor streets. The foundation stone was laid on
the 2th of April 1890 by the Rev. H.J .Neethling and came into use
in April 1894. The tender was given to one Parker for the amount of
£10 000. The pulpit, a replica of that in the Mother Church in
Stellenbosch, was constructed by Palfrman and De Roo from Kiaat
donated by Abel Erasmus. In 1926 a unique organ was donated to the
church by the descendants of the Voortrekker G.C. Schoeman.
The Burgher Monument situated on the church square
alongside the Dutch Reformed Church. On the 20th of July 1914, the
Church Council of the Dutch Reformed Church decided to donate a
piece of ground to erect a monument in remembrance of the Burghers
who died in action during the Anglo- Boer War (1889-1902). This
monument with the names of 33 burghers engraved on it was unveiled
in 1918 by General S.W. Burger.
The plot on which the new church, the Voortrekker church
and the Burgher Monument stand was declared a National Monument in
1978.
The ZAR Post Box stands in Kantoor street in front of the
Voortrekker church. The pillar box was manufactured in 1893 at
'Pletterij den Haag' and erected in Lydenburg around 1895. It
previously stood near the Burgher Monument and was moved to its
present position in 1975. In 1979 it was declared a National
Monument. It is still in use.
The Voortrekker School is situated in Kerk street near
the corner of Kantoor street. The school was built in 1851 and is
the oldest building in Lydenburg as well as the oldest school
building in Mpumalanga. It was also used as a church building
before the church was completed. The architecture is typical of the
Boer houses found during the pioneering period. The building was
used as a school until the outbreak of the Anglo-Boer war in 1899.
The school was declared a National Monument in 1974.
Take a look at the other old buildings and houses in the area as
well.
