Vryburg – Texas of South Africa
Set amidst African savannah grasslands, Vryburg is located in the North West Province of South Africa along the route joining Gauteng to neighboring Namibia. With its terrain being particularly suited to cattle farming, Vryburg is often referred to as the "Texas of South Africa". However, it is the amazing diversity and large numbers of animals and birds that attract many visitors to the game farms and the nearby Leon Taljaard Nature Reserve.
Other places of interest in and around the town include the Vryburg Museum which houses the Kinderdam Rock Engravings, as well as the Tierkloof Missionary Station and the Old Gaol main gate. In years gone by the jail often accommodated diamond smugglers and horse thieves with its most notorious inmate being the legendary, Robin Hood-like character, Scotty Smith. The Theiler Agricultural Museum located on the Armoedsvlakte Farm northwest of Vryburg pays tribute to the work of Arnold Theiler, founder of the Onderstepoort Veterinary Research Institute, and famous for his life-saving research into cattle diseases, much of which he accomplished on the farm.
The history of the town goes back to 1882 when the Republic of Stellaland was proclaimed with Vryburg as its capital. Citizens proclaimed that they were free, referring to themselves ‘vryburgers’, meaning ‘free citizens’. While one may not immediately consider Vryburg as a holiday destination, accommodation is plentiful and varied and it is certainly well equipped to give visitors an authentic South African bush experience.
