About Swellendam

Early travellers and explorers who visited the Cape in the 16th century traded with the Khoikhoi tribe who lived on these shores. When the Dutch East India Company established a replenishment station at the Cape in 1652, trade continued inland as far as Swellendam.

In 1743, Swellendam was declared a magisterial district, the third oldest in South Africa and was named after Governor Hendrik Swellengrebel and his wife, Helena Ten Damme. This remote outpost soon became a gateway to the interior and was visited by many famous explorers and travellers including François Le Vaillant, Lady Anne Barnard, William John Burchell and Bowler. In time, a village was established opposite the Drostdy, where artisans including several wainwrights and traders settled. To travellers and explorers, the services of the village residents were invaluable, as Swellendam was the last outpost of civilization on the eastern frontier.

By 1795 mismanagement and inadequacies of the Dutch East India Company caused the patient burghers of Swellendam to revolt, and in 1795, they declared themselves a Republic. Hermanus Steyn was appointed as President of the Republic of Swellendam, he was the first to be appointed the position of President in South Africa. But the Republic was brief due to the occupation of the Cape by the Kingdom of Great Britain. With the arrival of British settlers in the early 19th century the Overberg boomed, and its capital, Swellendam, was soon the centre of the famous mercantile firm of Barry and Nephews, created by Joseph Barry.

By the middle of the 19th century, the eastern districts had been colonized by the British settlers and Swellendam was a thriving metropolis. The town served as a valuable refreshment stop on the long, slow journey up the coast. Today Swellendam is a flourishing agricultural area and has many beautiful and historic buildings which serve as a reminder of its dramatic history. The first known depiction of Swellendam was of the Drostdy, by Johannes Schumacher in 1776, when he accompanied the son of Governor Swellengrebel to the town. Today the Drostdy forms part of a museum complex that consist of several heritage sites.