Paarl
Cape Winelands

A unique attraction near Paarl is the futuristic "Afrikaanse Taalmonument" ("taal" meaning "language"). It symbolizes the development of Afrikaans into a language of its own. The Dutch teacher Arnoldus Pannevis played an important part in this process. He observed that most of the South Africans who came from Holland could not speak their original mother tongue anymore. In the course of its, then 200 year old history, the language of the immigrants from the Netherlands had thoroughly changed through the influence of other European immigrants as well as Hottentots and especially Malays. In 1875, Afrikaans was declared an autonomous language.

150 years later Paarl began flourishing. The town takes its name from a massive granite rock intrusion that appears to shine like a pearl when the sun strikes it at a certain angle.

The Paarl Museum (formerly Oude Pastorie) that lies on the Main Street is the place to get information on the history of Paarl and the area.

Paarl, with its 75.000 inhabitants, is today the biggest town in the Cape Winelands. It is, like most of the towns in the region, a prosperous community with many well maintained mansions, pretty Cape Dutch houses, beautiful gardens and old oak trees. There are many wine estates situated in the valleys, which are among the best in the country, foremost the famous Nederburg estate.

Left: Paarl and its fertile valley. Top: The museum "Oude Pastorie". Bottom: The Afrikaanse Taalmonument.

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.)

Travel information and accommodation in Paarl to be found on the blue INFO page. The wine estates around Paarl are presented on the Paarl Wine Route page.