View of Hermanus and Grotto Beach from Rotary Way

Hermanus (; originally called ''Hermanuspietersfontein'', but shortened in 1902 as the name was too long for the postal serviceHermanus Pieters: The Beginnings of Hermanus
), is a town on the southern coast of the

Western Cape The Western Cape ( ; , ) is a provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the List of South African provinces by area, fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , an ...

province of South Africa. It is known for Southern Right whale watching during the southern winter to spring seasons, and is a popular retirement location.

History

Hermanus Pieters () was a Dutch teacher who arrived in Cpt in 1815. He was recruited by Dutch-speaking farmers who disliked that English was the only language used in all government schools. He settled in Caledon, but taught Dutch to farmers in a wide area around that town, including the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. He often vacationed at the spring ("fontein") in present-day Hermanus, where he fished and grazed his sheep, the place eventually became known as "Hermanus Pieters se Fonteyn". He died before the village Hermanuspietersfontein existed. 65 years after his death the postmaster decided to abbreviate the name to Hermanus. The parents of Roger Bushell, leader of the "Great Escape" (the escape by Allied airmen from Stalag Luft III in World War II), retired in Hermanus after World War II, and are buried there. Bushell's name is one of those commemorated on the war memorial.

Location

Hermanus lies along Walker Bay on the south coast of the

. It is located about 115 km southeast of

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

and is connected to the Mother City by the R43 highway (or coastal R44 scenic route) and N2 motorway. The R43 continues to Cape Agulhas, the most southerly point of Africa. Hermanus is 40 km from Gansbaai, a spot where people can dive amongst the

great white shark The great white shark (''Carcharodon carcharias''), also known as the white shark, white pointer, or simply great white, is a species of large Lamniformes, mackerel shark which can be found in the coastal surface waters of all the major ocea ...

s. It is also notable that Hermanus still boasts a historic railway station building without a railway line. The founders of the town decided not to lay any tracks as this would have made Hermanus more commercial and felt that Hermanus needed to stay a small fisherman's village. To this day the locals still refer to it as "the village." The town of

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

borders Hermanus to its east. Sandbaai lies on the coast at the entrance to the Hemel-en-Aarde (Heaven and Earth) Valley. It is the most recently developed and fastest-growing residential area of Greater Hermanus. Zwelihle, designated a "black" area by the

apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

era government, is a residential area that consists mainly of shacks. Following the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

the town has emerged as a popular destination for very wealthy South Africans to move to.

Climate

Hermanus is classified as having a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

). It receives roughly 520 mm of rain per annum, the majority of which falls during the winter months of June to August in the form of frontal precipitation. Average midday temperatures range from 25 °C in February to 16 °C in July. Extremes above 30 °C and under 10 °C are not uncommon. Summer and Winter months are characterised by strong south-easterly and north-westerly winds respectively.

Facilities

The Space Science Directorate of the South African National Space Agency, previously the Hermanus Magnetic Observatory (HMO), is a research facility of the National Research Foundation and forms part of the worldwide network which monitors variations of the

Earth's magnetic field Earth's magnetic field, also known as the geomagnetic field, is the magnetic field that extends from structure of Earth, Earth's interior out into space, where it interacts with the solar wind, a stream of charged particles emanating from ...

Environment

Beaches

''Grotto Beach'' is the largest beach in Hermanus and has also been proclaimed a blue Flag beach. Blue flag beaches meet international environment, safety and management criteria. Other beaches with Blue Flag status include ''Voëlklip'', ''Onrus'', ''Kammabaai'', ''Langbaai,'' and ''Hawston''. The rugged coastline also hosts many other smaller beaches, coves and tidal pools.

Floral diversity

Hermanus is in the

Cape Floristic Region The Cape Floral Region is a floristic region located near the southern tip of South Africa. It is the only floristic region of the Cape Floristic Kingdom, and includes only one floristic province, known as the Cape Floristic Province. The Cap ...

and thus has one of the highest plant diversity levels in the world. The principal vegetation type of this region is

fynbos Fynbos (; , ) is a small belt of natural shrubland or heathland vegetation located in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa. The area is predominantly coastal and mountainous, with a Mediterranean climate. The fynbos ...

, a mixture of evergreen shrub-like plants with small firm leaves. In the local Fernkloof Nature Reserve, 1,474 plant species have thus far been collected and identified.

Bird watching

Over 100 varieties of bird species reside in the Greater Hermanus area. Species such as the Orange-breasted Sunbird, the Cape Sugarbird, Victorin's Warbler, and other rare animals, make Hermanus a destination for bird enthusiasts.

Whales and whale-spotting

The town is noted for the presence of whales that often swim within sight of the coastline of the town. Although the Southern Right whale is the most prolific species in Hermanus bay, it is not the only species in the area. The whales can be seen from the cliffs all along the coast from as early as June and usually depart in early-December. They were once hunted in the nearby town of Betty's Bay, but are now protected. The Old Harbour Museum contains several exhibitions that explain the local

whaling Whaling is the hunting of whales for their products such as meat and blubber, which can be turned into a type of oil that was important in the Industrial Revolution. Whaling was practiced as an organized industry as early as 875 AD. By the 16t ...

industry, and the De Wetshuis Photo Museum houses an exhibition of photos by T. D. Ravenscroft that depicts the history of Hermanus. The Whale Museum houses a skeleton of a whale and shows an audio-visual presentation of whales and dolphins twice daily. Visitors can watch whales from the cliff-tops, from the air or via boats. Since August 1992, Hermanus has had the world's only whale crier, the first being Pieter Classen 1992–1998, then Wilson Salukazana 1998–2006, and Zolile Baleni since April 2006, who sounds his kelp horn to announce where whales have been sighted. In 2005, Zakes Mda wrote the novel '' The Whale Caller'' in which the Whale Crier of Hermanus is the main character, a man who gets enthralled by a southern right whale he names Sharisha. The book was adapted into a 2016 movie by the same name.

Whale festival

Hermanus hosts an annual Hermanus Whale Festival at the end of September, to celebrate the calving and mating season. Eco-Tourism is the main theme of the Hermanus whale festival with the Eco-Marine Village. Residents and visitors celebrate the migration of Southern Right Whales and other marine wildlife with ocean-themed activities and exhibitions, emphasizing education and environmentally responsible adventures and activities. Prior to this main whale festival, a Kalfiefees (or Calf Festival) is held, to welcome the first whales (usually in August). Both festivals are characterized by food and craft stalls, environmental presentations, and South African drama productions.

Gallery

File:Great white shark Dyer Island.jpg,

Great white shark The great white shark (''Carcharodon carcharias''), also known as the white shark, white pointer, or simply great white, is a species of large Lamniformes, mackerel shark which can be found in the coastal surface waters of all the major ocea ...

near Dyer IslandSee German page: Dyer Island (South Africa) Hermanus Coastline from the air with a City view.webm, An aerial video of the coastline along Hermanus with a view of the town. Hermanus-new-harbour.jpg, Hermanus's new harbor Old harbour and town.jpg, Railway station building, Hermanus (South Africa).jpg, Historic bus station building Southern Right Whales.jpg, Southern Right Whales File:Hermanus Community Partnership Function.jpg, Hermanus Community Policing Forum meeting.

Notable residents

* H. A. Humphrey (1868 – 1951), engineer and inventor. * Ernest Frederick Watermeyer (1880–1958), lawyer and Chief Justice of South Africa. * Stuart Cloete (1897 – 1976), novelist and author. * Evered Poole (1902 – 1969), South African World War 2 military commander and diplomat. * Louis Roy Serrurier (1905 – 1990), cricketer. * Uys Krige (1910–1987), writer and novelist. * Cecil Michaelis (1913–1997), artist and philanthropist. * Athol Rowan (1921–1998), cricketer. * Dick Westcott (1927–2013), cricketer. *

Julian Sleigh Julian Sleigh (6 October 1927 in Florence - 2 October 2013 in Cape Town) was a Christian Community priest, councillor, founding member of Camphill Movement, Camphill in South Africa and author. Early years Julian Sleigh was born in Florence, Ital ...

(1927–2013), priest and author. * Harvey Wood Tyson (1928 – 2018), journalist and writer. * Paul Johnstone (1930 – 1996), South African rugby player. * John Michael Kumleben (1933 – 2014), cricketer. * Piet du Toit (1935–1996), rugby player. * Mervyn Gotsman (1935), professor of Cardiology. * Barry Hilton (1956), stand-up comedian. * Frank Opperman (1960), actor and musician. * Petrus du Plessis (1981), rugby player and coach. * Eden Links (1989), cricketer. * Leolin Zas (1991), rugby player. * Robert Hunt (1996), rugby player * Jan Rabie, Afrikaans writer

References

External links

Overstrand Municipality

Hermanus Tourism/Visitor Information Centre
{{Authority control Populated places in the Overstrand Local Municipality Populated coastal places in South Africa Articles containing video clips