Lydenburg
Description
Lydenburg, meaning "Town of Suffering" in Dutch, is situated on the Strekspruit/Dorps River tributary of the Olifants River at the base of the Long Tom Pass in Mpumalanga. Lydenburg was founded in 1849 by a group of Voortrekkers under the leadership of Andries Potgieter when they abandoned their previous northern settlement of Ohrigstad due to a malaria epidemic.
In 1873 alluvial gold was discovered, and within months the Lydenburg goldfields were proclaimed. Now with a population of over 80,000, Lydenburg has become a hub of the South African fly-fishing industry, but also remains an agricultural and mining centre.
Map
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