"AFRIKAANS" a Paarl Travel Page by austinmax

Paarl, 35 miles north-east of Cape Town, is one of the three oldest European settlements in South Africa. Here in 1687, on the banks of the Berg River, farmlands were given to Dutch settlers, just 30 years after Jan van Riebeeck's landing at the Cape. The fertile ground and the Mediterranean climate provided perfect conditions for farming. The settlers planted orchards, vegetable gardens and above all, vineyards.

The Afrikaans Taalmonument was constructed according to the drawings of the architect Jan van Wyk. He described its symbolic meaning as follows: "Afrikaans is die taal, wat vir Wes-Europa en Afrika verbind. Dit vorm 'n brug tussen die groot helder Weste en die magiese Afrika." (Afrikaans is the language that connects western Europe and Africa. It forms a bridge between the great light West and magic Africa.