Morgenzon

Morgenzon, meaning ‘morning sun’ in Dutch, is a sleepy farming town situated along the banks of the Osspruit River, midway between Standerton and Ermelo. It's the place to visit if you're looking for peace and quiet to unwind from city life.

 

Morgenzon was laid out before the First World War, in 1912, on the farm by the same name that was donated by De Jager, a farmer in the area. Although the locals narrate a different story: that no name had been agreed upon on the eve of the town’s official establishment and as the morning sun rose over the horizon and time was running out it was decided that the town would be named after the rising sun and as a symbol of new beginnings. A few of the nearby farms have been around for much longer, since the 1880s, and five generations down the line their descendants still till the soil to harvest maize and farm cattle and sheep.

The town was laid out around the sandstone Marnico Hotel, which was built in 1912 as an overnight wagon stopover between the two towns. To this day the Marnico Hotel remains the town’s oldest landmark and also houses a restaurant, pub and gift shop. Another of the town’s recognisable landmarks is that of the NGK church, which was designed by Architect Gerard Moerdyk, who had studied architecture in England, France and Italy. He also designed the Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria and 80 churches that are dotted around South Africa.

Visit Morgenzon if you want to unwind from city life as there is little to do here besides admire the countryside on walks around the flat expanse of grassland, fish for carp and barbel in the nearby dams, play golf at the nine-hole golf course or explore the architecture of the churches. Bloukop (Blauuwkop) Mountain, which is 15km outside of town on the Amersfoort road, next to the Vaal River, was the headquarters of the English during the Anglo-Boer War. Here you can see their fort ruins.