Bredasdorp

Bredasdorp is a town in the Southern Overberg region of the Western Cape, South Africa, and the main economic and service hub of that region. It lies on the northern edge of the Agulhas Plain, about 160km south-east of Cape Town and north of Cape Agulhas, the southernmost tip of Africa.Tourist attractions of Bredasdorp include the Heuningberg Nature Reserve, a large number of historical churches and various art galleries and craft shops. Bredasdorp is also home to the Shipwreck Museum which tells the stories of the 150 wrecks along the nearby Agulhas Reef. The only museum of its kind in the southern hemisphere.HistoryThe town of Bredasdorp was founded with the building of a Dutch Reformed Church in 1838 on the farm Langefontein. The town was named after Michiel van Breda, the first Mayor of Cape Town, who was also known as the father of South Africa's merino sheep industry. Van Breda and Pieter Voltelyn van der Byl could not agree on a location for the church; as a result two churches were built, and two towns, Bredasdorp and Napier, were established.GovernmentBredasdorp is located in the Cape Agulhas Local Municipality; as the largest town in the municipality, Bredasdorp is divided between its second, third and fourth wards. The local municipality in turn forms part of the Overberg District Municipality; Bredasdorp is the location of the head offices of both municipalities.