Klerksdorp Hotels

Introducing Klerksdorp

The city of Klerksdorp is situated in the North West Province of South Africa.  Klerksdorp is a city and an administrative district.  Other towns in the Klerksdorp district are Orkney,  Stilfontein and Hartbeesfontein.Klerksdorp was established in 1837 when the Voortrekkers settled on the banks of the Schoonspruit. 

Klerksdorp is one of the oldest European towns of the former province of Transvaal.  The most prominent of the first settlers was C.M. du Plooy who claimed a farm of about 160 km² which was named Elandsheuwel, 'Hill of the Eland'.

In 1886 gold was discovered in the Klerksdorp district by M.G. Jansen van Vuuren as well as on the Witwatersrand which is located 160 km away from Klerksdorp.  Many fortune-seekers were attracted by this gold rush which lead to an expansion of the town which even had a stock exchange of its own.

However, to the disappointment of the miners, the gold reef demanded expensive and sophisticated equipment to mine and extract the gold.  This caused the majority of diggers to move away from this location in the late 1890s and leading to a decline in the gold mining industry of this region in South Africa.

The greater Klerksdorp area incorporates today the towns of Orkney, Kanana, Stilfontein, Khuma, Hartbeesfontein and Tigane.  Rustenburg and Klerksdorp are the major cities in the North West Province of South Africa.  Klerksdorp is has a gold mining industry , although its importance has been decreasing in recent years.  Besides mining activities, Klerksdorp is also an important medical, retail and education centre for South Africa's North West Province and the Northern Free State.

The Klerksdorp district plays an important role in the country's agriculture.  The main crops which are produced in this region are maize, sorghum, groundnuts and sunflowers.  Klerksdorp is home to the largest agricultural company in the southern hemisphere, which is called Senwes.  Furthermore, the Klerksdorp district in South Africa's North West Province is known for its Sussex cattle herds.   Klerksdorp is the headquarters of the South African Sussex Cattle Breeders Association.

Tourist attractions in / near Klerksdorp, North West Province (South Africa)

• Mining shafts: excavated in the 1880s
• Klerksdorp Museum: built in 1891 as a prison and served as such until 1973; the house of the warden hosts period exhibitions
• Faan Meintjies Nature Reserve: located about 15 km from Klerksdorp, it is home to 30 species of game and 150 species of birds
• Oudorp hiking trail: 12 km long trail winding its way through the oldest parts of the town
• Goudkoppie / Gold Hill: located near both the N12 highway and the Johannesburg-Cape Town railway line
• Klerksdorp Dam: situated 10 km outside Klerksdorp on the road to Ventersdorp