Dordrecht is a small town in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, situated at the intersection of the R56 Provincial Route with the R344 and R392 Regional Routes.
Dordrecht lies nestled in the Stormberg Mountains, just north-east of Komani (formerly known as Queenstown), between Mthatha and Middelburg.
Dordrecht falls within the Emalahleni Local Municipality and the Chris Hani District Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province.
Dordrecht is surrounded by several farms with a large number of merino sheep and cattle ranchers in the region. Farmers around Dordrecht also grow potatoes.
Dordrecht has a number of historical sites, including a unique 1873 colonial country bed-and-breakfast.
Its many historical buildings and museum display turn-of-the-century furniture and clothing.
There are farmstay holidays available in the region. They are well-known in South Africa for trout fishing, pheasant hunting, and game hunting.
The town is also situated near the Western Drakensberg Mountains, where South Africa’s only snow skiing resort is found.
It has two high schools, Masikhanyise High School and Dordrecht High School (which is 102 years old).
Dordrecht’s oldest townships are Marabastad, Munikville, and Sinako.
History
Dordrecht was founded in 1856 by Baron Smiddolff (later changed to Smithdorff), a minister of the Dutch Reformed Church.
The town was named after the city of the same name in the South-Western Netherlands.
A Remembrance Garden is in the city centre in memory of Baron Smithdorff, and high in the kopje in the foothills is a plaque dedicated to the Smithdorff family.
