Gauteng Getaway
It’s not always that easy to identify the beginning or end of a dorp, especially if, like Heidelberg, it is situated a mere 50 kilometres from the heart of Johannesburg.
It does, however, make Heidelberg a perfect ‘Gauteng getaway’, with many city slickers making a weekend of it in this picturesque town on the banks of Blesbokspruit.
Its location at the foot of the scenic Suikerbosrand ranges, and bordering Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve, entices the outdoor crowd who come here to hike, run and mountain bike on numerous and relatively safe trails.
The centre of town features fine examples of Victorian architecture, such as the Heidelberg Club (1892), the old sandstone railway station built (1895) and Dutch Reformed Church, now a provincial heritage site.
Heidelberg originated as a trading store on the farm Langlaagte in 1861, and was named after the home town in Germany of the surveyor, T. W. Fannin. During a brief period from 1880 to 1883, it was the capital of the Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek.
Did You Know? The Heidelberg cemetery is home to the grave of Count Heinrich von Zeppelin, the uncle of the inventor of the airship.
Heidelberg’s natural heritage is made prominent by its prime position along the eastern side of the Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve....