Gateway Christiana

Join us on Facebook

CHRISTIANA

Christiana is an agricultural town situated on the banks of the Vaal River in North West Province of South Africa.
The town was established in 1870 when diamonds were discovered in the river banks of the Vaal River. Christiana was named after Christina Meyer, only daughter of the Transvaal President Andries Pretorius.
The town also contains one of the biggest digger's bells ever to exist in the world. the bell is currently under water in the Vaal River as it once sank and ended in the drwning of several diggers. There were a fewe attempts to get the diggers bel out, but is was in vain as it is surrounded by too much mud

Gripped by diamond fever in the 1870's. Named after Cristiana, the only daughter of the then president Pretorius.

When diamonds were discovered in the Vaal River in the 1870's the former Transvaal Government hastily established a settlement on the banks of the river, in an attempt to control and alleviate land disputes over diamond discoveries further down the Vaal River. Tis Town was established on the farm Zoutpansdrift ( salt pan drift) and named Christiana, after the only daughter of President Pretorius of the old Transvaal. The first residential stands were sold in 1870.

Two years later diamonds were discovered in the gravel of the Vaal River close by and the inevitable manic rush followed. As usual the initial rush petered with the diamonds, although some are still found from time to time. These days the mainstay of the economy is the production of beef, maize, sorghum, groundnuts and cotton. Tourist attraction include the Diggers' Diamond Museum (authentic digging equipment and old photographs pay tribute to the town's diamond industry) and San Bushman Rock Art (excellent examples can be viewed 6km out of town on the Farm Stowlands) and Stows Kopje (prehistoric rock engravings which have been declared a national monument).

N12 Treasure Route Newsgreat free widgetsWidgetbox