Villiers (Südafrika)

Villiers is a small town situated on the banks of the Vaal River next to the N3 highway in the Free State province of South Africa. It was founded in 1882 on the two farms Pearson Valley and Grootdraai owned by Lourens de Villiers.LocationThe town is located in the north-eastern Free State, in the eastern half of South Africa. It actually lies at the border of the province of Mpumalanga, with the Vaal River forming the border. Nearby towns include (and their distance in km): Warden (98 km)Heidelberg (60 km)Frankfort (33 km)Vrede (61 km)Villiers is also located roughly 150 km from Pretoria (South Africa's de facto capital city), and approximately 70 km from the city of Vereeniging.HistoryThe town of Villiers is named after Lourens de Villiers on whose farms the town was first built. The town was established at the Vaal River crossing on the very important transport route between Durban and Johannesburg. De Villiers started with the subdivision of his farms into erven in 1882 and the town was proclaimed by State President F.W. Reitz on 29 May 1891.