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KZN - Dundee |
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Northern KwaZulu-Natal, on the R33 to the east of the N3 national highway. A pleasant little coal-mining town wreathed in military history. Battles of the Boer-Zulu war (1838), Anglo-Zulu war (1879) and the Anglo-Boer war (1899-1902) were fought in the area; much blood has been spilt on what is now a green, pleasant and peaceful land. Most notable of the confrontations were at Blood River, graveyard of warriors mown down by Voortrekker muskets; Islandwana, where the Zulu impi wiped out a small British army; the subsequent heroic British stand at Rorke's Drift (eleven Victoria Crosses were awarded), and Talana, the first engagement between Briton and Boer (1899). These and many other battlefields can be viewed along a well-publicised 'route'. Dundee itself is eminently Highlights for its Talana museum, an attractive group of nine Victorian-type structures built on the battle-site and set in park-like surrounds. There are some fascinating military exhibits on display, plus sections devoted to glass-working, brick-making and coal mining. The MOTH Museum, which contains an impressive selection of Anglo-Zulu war relics and memorabilia. Maria Ratschitz Mission, originally a Trappist hideaway; the church is graced by lovely stained glass and murals. Mahyeno Mission, a Lutheran foundation and National Monument; the station functioned as a hospital during the Anglo-Boer war. Boswells The only surviving 19th-century theatre building in KwaZulu Natal; interesting for its architecture. Battlefields Some are mentioned above; Blood River is marked by the original 64-wagon Boer 'laager' reconstructed, impressively and now controversially, in bronze. Rorkes Drift, a lonely mission station, remains as it was, with the addition (a short distance away) of an appealing arts-and-crafts centre. For historians, there's also the death-site of Eugene Louis Jean Joseph Napoleon, Prince Imperial of France and last of the Bonaparte dynasty, who was killed in an ambush during the Anglo-Zulu war (he had been appointed to the staff of British commander Lord Chelmsford). You'll also see various war memorials in and around Dundee. Escourt, Mooirivier, Howick and Pietermaritzburg, all down the N2 to the south-west; Greytown to the south; Ladysmith to the north-west; Vryheid to the north-east. |
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DUNDEE Western Cape
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