Genadendal

Moravian missionaries founded Genadendal - the valley of grace - in 1738, making it the first mission station in South Africa, and it grew into something the surrounding colony found uncomfortable: a self-governing community of Khoi converts with trades, a school, and by 1838 the first teacher training college in the country, at a time when educating that population was not colonial policy. The mission press printed in Dutch and Khoi languages. The village square is lined with thatched whitewashed cottages, the 1891 church, the old mill and the mission complex, and the museum in the original buildings holds the press, the trade workshops and the archive. Nelson Mandela renamed the presidential residence in Cape Town Genadendal in 1995 in recognition of the place. It is small, quiet and largely unchanged in layout.

What you actually see

• The 1738 foundation - the first mission station in South Africa, around a village square.
• The teacher college - the country's first, opened here in 1838.
• The mission press - printing in Dutch and Khoi languages, preserved in the museum.
• The thatched cottages - whitewashed houses in the original village layout.

When to go

September to April. Half a day. Museum hours are limited, particularly at weekends.

Honest expectations

The museum keeps short hours and can be closed unexpectedly. The village is poor and has few services for visitors. Roads in are narrow. It is a living community, not a heritage park - photograph houses with courtesy.

Nearby

Greyton is minutes away; Elim is south toward the coast.