Heidelberg (GP), Gauteng

Heidelberg in the Gauteng Province of South Africa can be found just off the  N3 Highway about 50 km outside of Johannesburg.

The town is situated at the eastern end of the Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve, a large tract of land that is South Africa’s highest point at approximately 2000 m above sea level. This nature reserve is named after the Sugar Bush or Protea Caffra and is probably the main reason tourists visit the area. With many hiking trails plus a 60 km route you can take by car, we suggest an early start as the weather can get very warm during the day.

Heidelberg offers a picturesque country lifestyle, steeped in history so there are a fair amount of attractions in the form of Victorian style homes, dating back to the period between 1890 and 1910, and museums to visit.

Places to Visit

Things to do and see:

• Heidelberg Transport Museum
• AG Visser House
• Diepkloof Farm Museum
• Klipkerk (Stone Church)
• Concentration Camp Cemetery
• Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve

Heidelberg Cemetery is home to the grave of Count Heinrich von Zeppelin, the uncle of the inventor of the air ship.

Tourists can find accommodation from a luxury hotel or manor to a few B&B’s and Guest Houses. The Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve offers a caravan site.

Climate

Heidelberg experiences its rainfall in the summer months, with December and January seeing the highest levels.

Summer months, November to March will have average temperatures of between 13˚C and 28˚C.

Winter months, May to August will have average temperatures of between 0˚C and 19˚C.

Transport

There are Domestic and International flights into Johannesburg’s OR Tambo Airport and Lanseria Airport on a daily basis. Bus services, the Gautrain, taxis and car rental companies are available for easy access around the area.

Festivals

April – Imagine: Dream. Believe. Do.: A movement of young believers, thinkers and doers who want to answer to God’s calling.

More festivals can be attended in the surrounding areas of Johannesburg.

History

In the quiet days before the gold rush to the Witwatersrand, a German, H J Uekermann, built a trading station in 1862 at the foot of the rocky Suikerbosrand (ridge of sugar bushes). By 1865 a town had been laid out around the store and he named the town after his University in Germany.

Heidelberg acted as a capital for the Boer republic during the war with Great Britain and for three months during the Transvaal War of Independence it became the seat of the Boer provisional government.

After the Witwatersrand gold reef was discovered in 1885, the office of the Mining Commissioner was opened in Heidelberg and the town grew substantially. During the Gold Rush the town boasted 18 Hotels and today is still a busy point on the road to the Witwatersrand and the north.