Potchefstroom is situated 100 km south-west of Johannesburg and is less
than two hours from South Africa’s largest airport, Johannesburg
International (JNB). Direct flights from Europe and the United States
land daily at JNB, which is served by several rental car companies.
Besides Potchefstroom's claim to being the oldest town in the North
West, few other towns are as symbolical of South Africa's
constitutional, cultural and religious development. The town was
established in 1838 by a group of Voortrekkers led by Andries Hendrik
Potgieter. The name was derived from POT(gieter), the Voortrekker
leader, CHEF (the leader, referring to Potgieter), and STROOM (stream,
referring to the Mooi River). Until 1960 it was the capital of the old
South African Republic of which the first president, Marthinus Wessel
Pretorius, was sworn in at Potchefstroom. Potchefstroom is furthermore
a historical town as it was the first town north of the Vaal River. The
Dutch Reformed Church in the Transvaal (at that time) was founded in
Potchefstroom in 1842 and since 1905 the town has been the theological
seminary of the Gereformeerde Kerk. People like Totius also worked here
and made their undeniable contribution to the Afrikaans language and
culture.
This city on the banks of the Mooiriver, with its 24 declared national
monuments, has a rich history. A noteworthy fact is that the first shots
of the First War of Independence were fired in Potchefstroom in 1880 and
that the town also played a prominent role during the guerrilla phase of
the Anglo Boer War (1899 -1902). Potchefstroom boasts many "firsts".
They includes the following: The "Vierkleur" (Transvaal flag) was
designed and hoisted here for the first time; The first constitution of
the "South African Republic" was drafted here; The first coat of arms of
the Republic was designed here; The first church building in Transvaal
was erected here; Potchefstroom was the first town in the Transvaal to
obtain municipal management; The first "Staats Courant" (Government
Gazette) was printed here and the first public press in Transvaal was
established here.
The numerous other attractions and recreational facilities available in
the immediate vicinity include Boskop Dam, the Vaal River and the
Rooihaas Hiking Trail situated in the Vredefort Dome. This trail
incorporates Krugerskraal, the erstwhile farmhouse of Totius. The
botanical garden and Science Centre of the North-West University, as
well as and the wide variety of sports facilities present the visitor
with further opportunities for relaxation.
Today Potchefstroom is known as the City of Expertise and is home to,
inter alia, four tertiary institutions and 30 schools, as well as
numerous research bureaus and training centres. This enables
Potchefstroom to step into the new millennium with confidence.
In September every year, Potchefstroom hosts the annual Aardklop arts festival.
The North-West University (NWU) came into being in January 2004, after the merger between the University of the North West and the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education.
NWU has three campuses in Potchefstroom, Mafikeng and Vanderbijlpark. Read more...
The Gereformeerde Kerk (Reformed Church) transferred its theological seminary, established in 1869, from Burgersdorp to Potchefstroom in 1905 and the institution developed into the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education. The university has an interesting and turbulent history, eventually culminating in being one of three campuses of the North-West University. Read more...
The old PU for CHE is now known as the PUK campus of the NWU - in short, NWU-PUK.
To get a feel of the campus, visit the Ferdinand Postma Library web site to download the PUK in beeld II screensaver. This shows images of the campus and surrounds.
