Christiana

 

North West - Christiana

Christiana was established in 1869. The town was named after Christina Petronella Pretorius, daughter of former President Pretorius. The town was erected on the farm of Zoutpansdrift. It was a diamond diggers dream and in the late 1800’s most of the people that resided in Christiana were diggers. Even now 200 years later, diggers are still collecting from the diamond rift flowing underneath this town.

Just north of Christiana, a young goat herder talked about black water that is boiling from the earth with a very sharp smell. It was later discovered it was mineral water. Buildings was erected around this mineral spring and in 1964 the town council donated the piece of land to the Curator of Mineral Baths of the Transvaal. Christiana is famous for its mineral baths that is situated at Protea Hotel Christiana.
The town is nestled on the banks of the Vaal River, a fisherman’s dream, 60km from Bloemhof Dam. Christiana is in the centre of the three provinces. North West Province, Free State and Northern Cape. Kimberley is situated  a 120km to the south, which is famous for it’s Big Hole, another landmark left by die diamond rush of the 1800’s.