Meerhoffkasteel - historiese heuwel in die Hardeveld

Abstract

Meerhofftasteel is a pyramid-shaped hill in the area known as the Hardeveld and is situated approximately fifteen kilometres west of the town of Nuwerus in the Cape Province. Today it lies far from the mainstream of civilization, but in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries pioneer travellers often visited this spot. In 1662 the expedition of Pieter Cruijthoff, and in the following year that of Pieter Meerhoff and Jonas de la Guerre explored the Hardeveld area north of the Olifants River and in their notes referred to "a mountain of marble", probably Meerhofftasteel. The first definite reference to the name Meerhofftasteel was made in 1682 by Oloff Bergh in his diary. In September 1685, when the expedition of Simon van der Stel visited the hill, the commander had his name chiselled out in one of the caves. Among those who later visited Meerhoffkasteel were J.T. Rhenius (1721, 1722 and 1724) and I.P. Giebeler (1739). During 1739 an important battle was fought in this area between troops of the Dutch East India Company and the Bushmen which resulted in the Bushmen’s influence disappearing from the region. Farms were then allocated to farmers, and in 1792 J. Jorssen became the first owner of the loan farm MeerhoffkasteeI. In 1978 the National Monuments Council unveiled a plaque at this historical site.