Franschhoek Information
Your comprehensive Guide to Everything Cape Town
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by loiphin @ flickr.com
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by Dewet @ Wikimedia Commons
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French protestant Huguenots came to Cape Town after fleeing persecution from the Catholic Church in France and finding temporary refuge in Protestant Holland. They came to the Cape from the 1680’s till the mid 1700’s. Many of these Huguenots became wine farmers and brought much needed expertise to the Dutch wine farming communities in Cape Town. They settled in what was then known as the Olifantshoek Vallei. This area later became known as "Le Quartier Francais", which means "French quarter”. Today it's known as Franschhoek.
Many of the road names and areas are taken from the names of French Towns. It is the self appointed food and wine capital of South Africa and undoubtedly some of the restaurants are certainly up there in terms of French quality. It´s beautiful surroundings have attracted wealthy investors over the last few years. Land prices have been going steadily through the roof and the booming tourism industry has slowly been turning this once sleepy village into a cosmopolitan and vibrant town.
