{"id":1155,"date":"2024-12-07T15:29:07","date_gmt":"2024-12-07T15:29:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aegir-ran.com\/?page_id=1155"},"modified":"2024-12-07T15:29:09","modified_gmt":"2024-12-07T15:29:09","slug":"knysna","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/aegir-ran.com\/index.php\/knysna\/","title":{"rendered":"Knysna"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Knysna<\/strong>&nbsp;(<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Help:IPA\/English\">\/\u02c8na\u026azn\u0259\/<\/a>;&nbsp;Afrikaans pronunciation:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Help:IPA\/Afrikaans\">[&#8216;n\u025b\u026asna]<\/a>) is a town with 76,150 inhabitants (2019 mid-year estimates) in the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Western_Cape\">Western Cape<\/a>&nbsp;province of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/South_Africa\">South Africa<\/a>. It is one of the destinations on the loosely defined&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Garden_Route\">Garden Route<\/a>&nbsp;tourist route. It is situated 60 kilometres east of the city of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/George,_Western_Cape\">George<\/a>&nbsp;on the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/N2_(South_Africa)\">N2<\/a>&nbsp;highway, and 33 kilometres west of the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Plettenberg_Bay\">Plettenberg Bay<\/a>&nbsp;on the same road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Etymology<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A number of explanations exist for the origins of the name, &#8216;Knysna&#8217; &#8211; including &#8216;xthys xna,&#8217; purportedly from a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Khoekhoe_language\">Khoekhoe language<\/a>&nbsp;term that might have meant &#8216;place of timber&#8217;, &#8216;place of ferns&#8217;, or even &#8216;straight down&#8217;<sup>[5]<\/sup><sup>[6]<\/sup>&nbsp;(referring to the cliffs at The Heads).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, it is also likely that the name is related to, or a derivative of, similar place names that do or have existed in other parts of Africa.<sup>[<em><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wikipedia:What_Wikipedia_is_not#CRYSTAL\">speculation?<\/a><\/em>]<\/sup>&nbsp;In colonial times&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Lake_Malawi\">Lake Malawi<\/a>&nbsp;was known as Lake Nyasa (very similar to &#8216;Knysna&#8217;), while Webster&#8217;s Universal Unabridged Dictionary<sup>[7]<\/sup>&nbsp;defines the word &#8216;nyanza&#8217; as a noun: &#8220;(African): An expanse of water, as a lake or wide river&#8221;.&nbsp;<sup>[<em><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wikipedia:Citation_needed\">citation needed<\/a><\/em>]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">History<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Early history<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Forty fossilised hominid footprints, dating to about 90,000 years ago, along with various other archaeological discoveries suggest that humans have lived in Knysna for well over 300,000 years. The first of these were various&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/San_people\">San<\/a>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hunter-gatherer\">Hunter-gatherer<\/a>&nbsp;peoples who inhabited most of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Southern_Africa\">Southern Africa<\/a>&nbsp;in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Paleolithic\">paleolithic<\/a>. The San were gradually displaced and absorbed by south migrating&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Khoekhoe\">Khoekhoe<\/a>&nbsp;peoples.<sup>[8]<\/sup><sup>[9]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Houtunqua (Outeniqua) Khoe<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The indigenous inhabitants of the Knysna area are a southern&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Khoekhoe\">Khoekhoe<\/a>&nbsp;people called the&nbsp;<strong>Houtunqua<\/strong>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<strong>Outeniqua<\/strong>. Their name means &#8220;The People Who Bear Honey&#8221;.<sup>[10]<\/sup><sup>[11]<\/sup>&nbsp;From the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Khoekhoe_language\">Khoekhoegowab<\/a>&nbsp;words&nbsp;<em><strong>\/hao<\/strong><\/em>, &#8216;honey&#8217;,&nbsp;<em><strong>tun'(teni)<\/strong><\/em>, &#8216;to carry (verb)&#8217;, and&nbsp;<strong>khoe<\/strong>&nbsp;rendered as&nbsp;<strong>qua<\/strong>&nbsp;meaning&nbsp;<em>people<\/em>.<sup>[12]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Little is known about Houtunqua society prior to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/History_of_colonialism\">European contact<\/a>. What little historical sources exist are not elaborate. It is suspected that at the height of the Houtunqua&#8217;s society, their territory stretched from the mouth of the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Krom_River\">Krom River<\/a>in the east, along the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Outeniqua_Mountains\">Outeniqua Mountains<\/a>&nbsp;which bear their name, up until the mouth of the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Great_Brak_River_(river)\">Grootbrak River<\/a>&nbsp;in the west.<sup>[13]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Houtunqua seem to have remained autonomous from the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Inqua_(Hamcumqua)&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1\">Inqua (Hamcumqua)<\/a>&nbsp;expansion in the north with smaller Khoekhoe tribes like the Gamtobaqua<sup>[14]<\/sup>&nbsp;coming into the fold of the Houtunqua to seek protection from the ever expanding Inqua to the north east. The Houtunqua were connected to trades routes with the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Attaqua&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1\">Attaqua<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Hessequa&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1\">Hessequa<\/a>&nbsp;to the west.<sup>[15]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Archaeological evidence suggests that the Houtunqua kept livestock and practised&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Nomadic_pastoralism\">Nomadic Pastoralism<\/a>&nbsp;but made extensive use of the resources in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Knysna%E2%80%93Amatole_montane_forests\">mountain forests<\/a>. Excavations in the region have unearthed many caves showing signs of pre-colonial occupation.The discovery of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Midden#Shells\">shell middens<\/a>&nbsp;at Knoetzie beach confirms the idea that like other Khoekhoe peoples, the Houtuniqua made use of the ocean for its resources.<sup>[16]<\/sup><sup>[17]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Oral tradition among the Houtunqua tells how the Houtunqua held specific superstitions about Europeans and believed them to be &#8220;baleful spirits&#8221;. Thus the Houtunqua went out of their way to avoid contact with Europeans. Where other Khoekhoe tribes established formal relations and trade with Europeans, the Houtunqua receded deeper and deeper into the mountain forests.<sup>[18]<\/sup>&nbsp;As a result the Houtunqua disappeared from the historical record for some time with some Houtunqua eventually assimilating into colonial society of the time.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Chief_Dikkop&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1\">Chief Dikkop<\/a>, who died in 1816, was the last recorded Chief of the Houtunqua.<sup>[19]<\/sup><sup>[20]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">European settlement<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first Europeans arrived in the area in 1760, and the farm&nbsp;<em>Melkhoutkraal<\/em>(literally translating from&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Afrikaans\">Afrikaans<\/a>&nbsp;as &#8216;milk wood kraal&#8217;) was established on the eastern shore of the Knysna Lagoon. Stephanus Terblans, the first European farmer to settle in the area, was given a loan permit to farm here in 1770.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Upon moving to Knysna&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/George_Rex\">George Rex<\/a>, a British-born entrepreneur credited as being the founder of Knysna, acquired the loan rights to Melkhoutkraal in 1804 and later, in 1816, to the farm&nbsp;<em>Welbedacht<\/em>, which he renamed&nbsp;<em>Eastford<\/em>.<sup>[21]<\/sup>&nbsp;He gave 80 acres (32&nbsp;ha) of Eastford to the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/British_Cape_Colony\">Colonial Government<\/a>, on which the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Royal_Navy\">Royal Navy<\/a>&nbsp;established the township of Melville. Rex&#8217;s properties were sold when he died in 1839.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In April 1817, the transport brig&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Emu_(1813_ship)\"><em>Emu<\/em><\/a>, belonging to the Cape Town Dockyard, was the first European vessel to enter the Knysna Heads. She struck a rock, now known as Emu Rock, and was holed.<sup>[22]<\/sup>&nbsp;Her crew ran&nbsp;<em>Emu<\/em>&nbsp;ashore to prevent her sinking. In late April&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/HMS_Podargus_(1808)\">HMS&nbsp;<em>Podargus<\/em><\/a>&nbsp;arrived to render assistance.<sup>[23]<\/sup>&nbsp;After surveying the area,&nbsp;<em>Podargus<\/em>&nbsp;sailed safely into the Knysna and retrieved&nbsp;<em>Emu&#8217;<\/em>s cargo.<sup>[22]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The next major settler in Knysna was Captain Thomas Henry Duthie, who married Caroline, George Rex&#8217;s daughter, and bought a portion of the Uitzigt farm from his father-in-law which Rex had named&nbsp;<em>Belvidere<\/em>.<sup>[24]<\/sup>&nbsp;The construction of a small&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Normans\">Norman<\/a>-style church was commissioned by Duthie on his property, and was consecrated in 1855. The settlement&#8217;s population grew slowly, and Englishmen such as Henry Barrington and Lt. Col. John Sutherland, who established the settlement of Newhaven on a portion of purchased land, settled in the area. At the time, Knysna was a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Field_cornet\">field cornetcy<\/a>&nbsp;of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Plettenberg_Bay\">Plettenberg Bay<\/a>&nbsp;within the Magisterial Division of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/George,_Western_Cape\">George<\/a>. In 1858, Knysna became a separate Magisterial Division, new stores and accommodation facilities were opened, and Knysna became the new commercial centre of the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On their way to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/New_Zealand\">New Zealand<\/a>, the Thesen family who were travelling from&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Norway\">Norway<\/a>&nbsp;fancied the little hamlet of Knysna so much that they decided to stay, bringing with them their knowledge of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Commerce\">commerce<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sailing\">sailing<\/a>. Soon,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Timber\">timber<\/a>&nbsp;was being exported to the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cape_Colony\">Cape<\/a>&nbsp;from the vast areas of forest surrounding Knysna, and a steam&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sawmill\">sawmill<\/a>&nbsp;and small&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Shipyard\">shipyard<\/a>&nbsp;were established. Later, these were relocated to Paarden Island, later known as Thesen&#8217;s Island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Millwood Gold Rush<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 1878, an important discovery was made in the area. A&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gold\">gold<\/a>&nbsp;nugget was found in the Karatara River, near&nbsp;<em>Ruigtevlei<\/em>. Soon fortune hunters from all over the world arrived at the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Millwood,_South_Africa\">Millwood Forest<\/a>&nbsp;in search of gold, and Millwood grew into a bustling town. Millwood was declared a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gold_mining\">gold field<\/a>, the first in South Africa. However, soon not enough gold was being recovered to sustain a growing town, and the mining industry in the area collapsed. Some miners relocated to Knysna, bringing their little homes with them. One of the houses, known as &#8216;Millwood House&#8217;, now functions as a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Museum\">museum<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Amalgamation and timber industry<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By 1880 over 1000 people had settled in Knysna.<sup>[25]<\/sup>&nbsp;In 1882, the settlements of Newhaven, Melville and the &#8220;wedge&#8221; of land between the two villages were&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Amalgamation_(politics)\">amalgamated<\/a>&nbsp;to form the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Municipality\">municipality<\/a>&nbsp;of &#8216;The Knysna&#8217;, named after the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Knysna_River\">Knysna River<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Knysna&#8217;s timber industry peaked when&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=George_Parkes&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1\">George Parkes<\/a>&nbsp;arrived from&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/United_Kingdom\">Britain<\/a>&nbsp;and saw the opportunity to use the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hardwood\">hardwoods<\/a>&nbsp;of the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Knysna_forest\">Knysna Forest<\/a>&nbsp;for export to elsewhere in the country, and even overseas. He established the Knysna Forest Company, later renamed Geo. Parkes and Sons Ltd., which is still trading to this day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2017 Knysna fire<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On June 7, 2017, fuelled by strong winds from a severe storm &#8211;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cape_Storm_(2017)\">the Cape Storm of 2017<\/a>&#8211; coming in from the west, a fire swept through the town and surrounding areas. Killing 9 as a direct result of the fires and another 2 indirectly and displacing around 10,000 people from all walks of life.<sup>[26]<\/sup><sup>[27]<\/sup>&nbsp;Initially reported as&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Arson\">arson<\/a>,<sup>[28]<\/sup>&nbsp;the cause of the fire was later revealed to have been lightning.<sup>[29]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Geography<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The town is primarily built on the northern shore of a large warm-water\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Estuary\">estuary<\/a>, known as the Knysna Lagoon, which is fed by the Knysna River. The estuary opens to the ocean after passing between two large\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Headland\">headlands<\/a>\u00a0made up of Peninsula Formation quartzites.<sup>[30]<\/sup>\u00a0These are popularly known as &#8220;The Heads&#8221;, and have become infamous due to the loss of boats and fishermen passing through their treacherous and unpredictable waters. The\u00a0<em>Paquita<\/em>, a German vessel, sank on <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">the eastern side of the Knysna Heads in 1903. Near them are geological formations, known locally as &#8220;The Map Stones.&#8221; To the north of Knysna,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Knysna-Amatole_montane_forests\">Afro-Montane<\/a>\u00a0or temperate rainforest covers the hilly terrain for 20\u00a0km until changing to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fynbos\">fynbos<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Macchia\">macchia<\/a>\u00a0high in the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Outeniqua_Mountains\">Outeniqua Mountains<\/a>. The eastern head is heavily developed, while the western head is partially protected by a private nature reserve,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Featherbed_Nature_Reserve\">Featherbed Nature Reserve<\/a>, developed and formerly owned by teacher and television presenter\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/William_Smith_(teacher)\">William Smith<\/a>\u00a0on land he inherited from his father, famed ichthyologist\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/J._L._B._Smith\">J. L. B. Smith<\/a>.<sup>[31]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Climate<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Knysna has an&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Oceanic_climate\">oceanic climate<\/a>&nbsp;(<em>Cfb<\/em>&nbsp;in the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/K%C3%B6ppen_climate_classification\">K\u00f6ppen climate classification<\/a>). Summers are warm and winters mild. During the summer, the average maximum temperature reaches about 25&nbsp;\u00b0C (77&nbsp;\u00b0F) and rarely goes above 30&nbsp;\u00b0C (86&nbsp;\u00b0F). The average maximum temperature during the winter months ranges in the area of 17&nbsp;\u00b0C (63&nbsp;\u00b0F) to 18&nbsp;\u00b0C (64&nbsp;\u00b0F). Knysna has one of the richest rainfall percentages in South Africa with the wettest time of year being from October to November. Knysna stays green in all seasons, and its temperate climate makes it a tourist destination all year round.<sup>[32]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tourism<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The town is a popular destination for both tourists and senior citizens entering retirement, especially among the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Great_Britain\">British<\/a>&nbsp;and former expatriates due to the year-round warm climate. Recently, the town has also become a preferred destination among golfers, as the town boasts several world class&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Golf_course\">golf courses<\/a>, including Pezula Golf Course, Simola Golf Course and the well established Knysna Golf Course situated on the lagoon. It is near the towns of Plettenberg Bay and George, where there are airports. Knysna is also home to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Mitchell%27s_Brewery&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1\">Mitchell&#8217;s Brewery<\/a>although the company no longer brews beers in the town. The forest, rivers, estuary, and ocean surrounding the town are dotted with hiking trails and plenty of opportunities for outdoor activities. Hikers, runners, kayakers, swimmers, and fishermen are known to be particularly fond of Knysna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Annual events<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Knysna hosts a variety of annual events, which draw local and international visitors alike. Such events include the Knysna Oyster Festival in late June and\/or early July; the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pink_Loerie_Mardi_Gras_and_Arts_Festival\">Pink Loerie Mardi Gras and Arts Festival<\/a>&nbsp;at the end of April and\/or beginning of May; the Knysna Speed Festival takes place in the first week of May, the highlight of the week being the Simola Hillclimb. The&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Rastafarian\">Rastafarian<\/a>&nbsp;Earth Festival takes place at the end of July, celebrating Rastafarian religion, culture and lifestyle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Knysna Oyster Festival<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Knysna Oyster Festival, held annually in late June\/early July, is the town&#8217;s oldest event. The duration of the festival is ten days. It was first held in 1983. Approximately 200,000&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Oyster\">oysters<\/a>&nbsp;are consumed over the 10-day period. Many sporting activities take place, such as rugby, golf, bowls, squash, cycling and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Marathon\">marathons<\/a>. The Knysna Forest Marathon and Half Marathon, as well as the Rotary Cycle Tour, draw many sporting enthusiasts to the town.<sup>[35]<\/sup>&nbsp;The&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/COVID-19_pandemic\">COVID-19 pandemic<\/a>&nbsp;deferred the 2020 festival to 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Knysna Speed Festival<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The best-known hillclimb event in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/South_Africa\">South Africa<\/a>&nbsp;is held annually in early May during the Knysna Speed Festival, currently known as&nbsp;<strong>The Simola Hillclimb<\/strong>.<sup>[36]<\/sup>It is a four-day event, starting with a four day Fan Fest starting on the Thursday prior to the event, before track action starts with Classic Car Friday reserved for cars built prior to 1990 and restricted to 65 entries. The King of the Hill Challenge (limited to 84 entries), for unrestricted cars in various classes, takes place over the weekend. The Saturday is for practice and pre-qualifying, while Sunday features the &#8220;hot&#8221; cars taking on final qualifying and the final runs. The course length is 1.9&nbsp;km (1.2&nbsp;mi) up Simola Hill. It is very fast with the 2022 winning average speed being 200.228&nbsp;km\/h (124.416&nbsp;mph).<sup>[<em><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wikipedia:Citation_needed\">citation needed<\/a><\/em>]<\/sup>. 2024 will be the fourteenth running of the event which was founded in 2009. There was no event in 2013 nor 2020 due to COVID-19. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, it ran without spectators in 2021, with limited spectators in 2022 before returning to an unrestricted event in 2023. Former World Rally, and two-time World Rallycross, Champion Petter Solberg, former Formula One driver, and Le Mans winner, Mika Salo and five-time Finnish Rally champion Henning Solberg competed in the 2023 event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Coats of arms<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Municipal arms<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Knysna municipality assumed a coat of arms in 1959, and registered them with the Cape Provincial Administration on 24 June 1960.<sup>[37]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The arms, which were designed by&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ivan_Mitford-Barberton\">Ivan Mitford-Barberton<\/a>, are:&nbsp;<em>Quarterly, I Or a white horse&#8217;s head couped at the neck proper; II Azure a fern frond in bend sinister Argent; III Azure a yellowwood tree Or; IV Or an elephant&#8217;s head caboshed proper<\/em>&nbsp;(in layman&#8217;s terms: the shield is quartered, 1 a white horse&#8217;s head on a gold background, 2 a silver fern frond on a blue background, 3 a yellowwood tree on a blue background and 4 an elephant&#8217;s head on a gold background). The crest is a sailing ship, and the motto&nbsp;<em>Concilio et prudentia<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Divisional council arms<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Knysna divisional council (the local authority for the rural areas outside the town) assumed a coat of arms in 1961 and registered them with the provincial administration on 28 July 1961.<sup>[38]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The arms, designed by Schalk Pienaar, were:&nbsp;<em>Per saltire, I Or on a mount Vert a stinkwood tree proper; II &amp; III Argent three bars wavy Azure; IV Vert the brig Knysna proper the sails charged with two lions rampant Gules and pennants flotant Azure<\/em>. In layman&#8217;s terms: the shield is divided into four sections by two diagonal lines, the top section displays a stinkwood tree on a golden background, the left and right sections display three wavy blue stripes against a silver background, and the bottom section displays a brig named &#8216;Knysna&#8217; with red lions on the sails and a blue pennant flying from the mast. The motto was&nbsp;<em>Pulchra terra Dei donum<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Citations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Robson, Linda Gillian (2011).\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/repository.up.ac.za\/bitstream\/handle\/2263\/26503\/05back.pdf?sequence=6&amp;isAllowed=y#page=31\">&#8220;Annexure A&#8221;<\/a>\u00a0(PDF).\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/repository.up.ac.za\/handle\/2263\/26503\"><em>The Royal Engineers and settlement planning in the Cape Colony 1806\u20131872: Approach, methodology and impact<\/em><\/a>\u00a0(PhD thesis). University of Pretoria. pp.\u00a0xlv\u2013lii.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hdl_(identifier)\">hdl<\/a>:<a href=\"https:\/\/hdl.handle.net\/2263%2F26503\">2263\/26503<\/a>.normal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.knysna.gov.za\/government\/council\/meet-the-councillors\/\">&#8220;Meet the Councillors&#8221;<\/a>. Retrieved\u00a05 July\u00a02024.normal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>^\u00a0<sup><em><strong>a<\/strong><\/em><\/sup>\u00a0<sup><em><strong>b<\/strong><\/em><\/sup>\u00a0<sup><em><strong>c<\/strong><\/em><\/sup>\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/census2011.adrianfrith.com\/place\/180009\">&#8220;Main Place Knysna&#8221;<\/a>.\u00a0<em>Census 2011<\/em>.normal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westerncape.gov.za\/provincial-treasury\/files\/atoms\/files\/WC048%202019%20Socio-economic%20Profile%20-%20Knysna%20Municipality.pdf\">&#8220;Knysna Municipality 2019&#8221;<\/a>\u00a0(PDF). Western Cape Government. Retrieved\u00a027 April\u00a02021.normal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Volume 6\u00a0<em>Standard Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa<\/em>\u00a0(<em>Nasionale Opvoedkundige Uitgewery<\/em>\u00a01972)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>du Plessis, E.J. (1973).\u00a0<em>Suid-Afrikaanse berg- en riviername<\/em>. Tafelberg-uitgewers, Cape Town. p.\u00a0250.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/ISBN_(identifier)\">ISBN<\/a>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Special:BookSources\/0-624-00273-X\"><bdi>0-624-00273-X<\/bdi><\/a>.normal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Webster, Noah (1940). Devlin, Joseph (ed.).\u00a0<em>Webster&#8217;s Universal Unabridged Dictionary<\/em>. Vol.\u00a0II. Cleveland, Ohio: The World Publishing Company, New York. p.\u00a01119.normal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.knysnamuseums.co.za\/pages\/early-stone-age-archaeology-in-knysna\/\">&#8220;Earlier Stone Age archaeology in Knysna &#8211; Knysna Museums&#8221;<\/a>.\u00a0<em>www.knysnamuseums.co.za<\/em>. Retrieved\u00a017 September\u00a02021.normal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.knysnamuseums.co.za\/pages\/hominin-fossil-tracks-garden-route\/\">&#8220;Knysna&#8217;s fossil hominin footprints &#8211; Knysna Museums&#8221;<\/a>.\u00a0<em>www.knysnamuseums.co.za<\/em>. Retrieved\u00a017 September\u00a02021.normal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.georgeherald.com\/News\/Article\/General\/the-otentottu-and-their-tribes-201811140339\">&#8220;The Otentottu and their tribes&#8221;<\/a>.\u00a0<em>George Herald<\/em>. Retrieved\u00a017 September2021.normal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sa-venues.com\/game-reserves\/outeniqua.php\">&#8220;Outeniqua Nature Reserve, Garden Route&#8221;<\/a>.\u00a0<em>www.sa-venues.com<\/em>. Retrieved\u00a017 September\u00a02021.normal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>ujubee.\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/ujubee.com\/?p=1061\">&#8220;Honeybees and The Great Fire of 1869 extending from Swellendam to Uitenhage&#8221;<\/a>.\u00a0<em>Ujubee<\/em>. Retrieved\u00a017 September\u00a02021.normal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/3887531\">&#8220;Jan van Riebeeck and the Hottentots 1652-1662&#8221;<\/a>.\u00a0<em>The South African Archaeological Bulletin<\/em>.\u00a0<strong>7<\/strong>\u00a0(25): 7\u201353. 1952.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Doi_(identifier)\">doi<\/a>:<a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.2307%2F3887531\">10.2307\/3887531<\/a>.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/ISSN_(identifier)\">ISSN<\/a>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/search.worldcat.org\/issn\/0038-1969\">0038-1969<\/a>.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/JSTOR_(identifier)\">JSTOR<\/a>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/3887531\">3887531<\/a>.normal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Goodwin, A. J. H. (1952).\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/3887454\">&#8220;Commentary on &#8216;Jan van Riebeeck and the Hottentots'&#8221;<\/a>.\u00a0<em>The South African Archaeological Bulletin<\/em>.\u00a0<strong>7<\/strong>\u00a0(26): 86\u201391.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Doi_(identifier)\">doi<\/a>:<a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.2307%2F3887454\">10.2307\/3887454<\/a>.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/ISSN_(identifier)\">ISSN<\/a>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/search.worldcat.org\/issn\/0038-1969\">0038-1969<\/a>.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/JSTOR_(identifier)\">JSTOR<\/a>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/3887454\">3887454<\/a>.normal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westerncape.gov.za\/speech\/bicentennial-establishment-town-george\">&#8220;Bicentennial of the Establishment of the Town of George&#8221;<\/a>.\u00a0<em>Western Cape Government<\/em>. Retrieved\u00a017 September\u00a02021.normal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.knysnamuseums.co.za\/pages\/knysna-forests-pre-colonial-history\/\">&#8220;Pre-colonial people of the Knysna forests &#8211; Knysna Museums&#8221;<\/a>.\u00a0<em>www.knysnamuseums.co.za<\/em>. Retrieved\u00a017 September\u00a02021.normal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.knysnamuseums.co.za\/pages\/archaeology\/\">&#8220;Middle Stone Age archaeology in Knysna &#8211; Knysna Museums&#8221;<\/a>.\u00a0<em>www.knysnamuseums.co.za<\/em>. Retrieved\u00a017 September\u00a02021.normal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sloanemedia.net\/fhk\/who-were-the-gamtoos%2C-chainoqua-and-hessequa\">https:\/\/www.sloanemedia.net\/fhk\/who-were-the-gamtoos%2C-chainoqua-and-hessequa<\/a>\u00a0<sup>[<em><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wikipedia:Link_rot\">dead link<\/a><\/em>]<\/sup><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pa.org.za\/speech\/533608\">&#8220;View Section:\u00a0:: People&#8217;s Assembly&#8221;<\/a>.normal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Editie I. Schapera.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dbnl.org\/tekst\/dapp001earl01_01\/dapp001earl01_01.pdf\">&#8220;The early Cape Hottentots&#8221;<\/a>\u00a0(PDF).\u00a0<em>dbnl.org<\/em>. Retrieved\u00a01 July\u00a02023.normal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Knysna Historical Society<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>^\u00a0<sup><em><strong>a<\/strong><\/em><\/sup>\u00a0<sup><em><strong>b<\/strong><\/em><\/sup>\u00a0<em>Asiatic Journal and Monthly Miscellany<\/em>, (1818), Vol. 6, p.317.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Horsburgh (1826), Vol. 1, p.196.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Travel Journal of Thomas Henry Duthie, 5 December 1830<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20131109164718\/http:\/\/go2knysna.co.za\/the-history-of-knysna-1770-1899\/\">&#8220;THE HISTORY OF KNYSNA (1770 \u2013 1899) | Go2KnysnaGo2Knysna&#8221;<\/a>. Archived from\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/go2knysna.co.za\/the-history-of-knysna-1770-1899\/\">the original<\/a>\u00a0on 9 November 2013. Retrieved\u00a09 November2013.normal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>NDLOVU, RAY (8 June 2017).\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.businesslive.co.za\/bd\/companies\/financial-services\/2017-06-08-insurers-fears-grow-after-vicious-storm-and-fires-in-western-cape\/\">&#8220;Insurers expect claims to rise on Cape storm and fires&#8221;<\/a>.\u00a0<em>Business Day<\/em>. Retrieved\u00a012 June\u00a02017.normal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>de Villiers, James (11 June 2017).\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.news24.com\/SouthAfrica\/News\/knysnafire-death-toll-rise-to-6-20170610\">&#8220;#KnysnaFire: death toll rises&#8221;<\/a>.\u00a0<em>News24<\/em>. Retrieved\u00a012 June\u00a02017.normal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Head, Tom (10 June 2017).\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thesouthafrican.com\/forensic-investigator-believes-arson-is-the-cause-of-knysna-fires\/\">&#8220;Forensic investigator believes arson is the cause of Knysna fires&#8221;<\/a>.\u00a0<em>www.thesouthafrican.com<\/em>. Retrieved\u00a012 June2017.normal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>QUKULA, QAMA.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20190621171956\/www.capetalk.co.za\/articles\/269400\/knysna-fires-sparked-by-lightning-strike-not-arson-finds-expert\">&#8220;Knysna fires sparked was caused by arson, finds expert&#8221;<\/a>.\u00a0<em>www.capetalk.co.za<\/em>. Archived from\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.capetalk.co.za\/articles\/269400\/knysna-fires-sparked-by-lightning-strike-not-arson-finds-expert\">the original<\/a>\u00a0on 21 June 2019. Retrieved\u00a021 June\u00a02019.normal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.knysnamuseums.co.za\/pages\/the-knysna-heads\/\">&#8220;Geomorphology: How the Knysna Heads were formed &#8211; Knysna Museums&#8221;<\/a>.\u00a0<em>www.knysnamuseums.co.za<\/em>. Retrieved\u00a06 June\u00a02022.normal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.iol.co.za\/news\/south-africa\/maths-boffin-sells-the-heads-412664\">&#8220;Maths boffin sells the heads&#8221;<\/a>.\u00a0<em>www.iol.co.za<\/em>.normal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20160304035444\/http:\/\/www.knysnaestateagency.co.za\/knysnafacts\/index.html\">&#8220;Knysna Information Garden Route South Africa&#8221;<\/a>. Archived from\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.knysnaestateagency.co.za\/knysnafacts\/index.html\">the original<\/a>on 4 March 2016. Retrieved\u00a09 November\u00a02013.normal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.climate-data.org\/africa\/south-africa\/western-cape\/knysna-57365\/\">&#8220;Knysna climate: Average Temperature, weather by month, Knysna water temperature &#8211; Climate-Data.org&#8221;<\/a>.\u00a0<em>en.climate-data.org<\/em>. Retrieved\u00a026 July2021.normal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.holiday-weather.com\/knysna\/averages\/\">&#8220;Knysna, South Africa &#8211; Average Annual Weather &#8211; Holiday Weather&#8221;<\/a>.\u00a0<em>www.holiday-weather.com<\/em>.normal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.oysterfestival.co.za\/\">&#8220;Home &#8211; Knysna Oyster Festival&#8221;<\/a>.normal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.speedfestival.co.za\/\">&#8220;The Simola Hillclimb&#8221;<\/a>. Retrieved\u00a015 October\u00a02012.normal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cape of Good Hope\u00a0<em>Official Gazette<\/em>\u00a03034 (24 June 1960).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cape of Good Hope\u00a0<em>Official Gazette<\/em>\u00a03092 (28 July 1961).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">References<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Horsburgh, James (1826)\u00a0<em>India Directory, Or Directions for Sailing to and from the East Indies, China, New Holland, Cape of Good Hope, Brazil and the Interjacent Ports<\/em>. 3. Ed, Vol. 1. (Kingsburg).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Knysna&nbsp;(\/\u02c8na\u026azn\u0259\/;&nbsp;Afrikaans pronunciation:&nbsp;[&#8216;n\u025b\u026asna]) is a town with 76,150 inhabitants (2019 mid-year estimates) in the&nbsp;Western Cape&nbsp;province of&nbsp;South Africa. It is one of the destinations on the loosely defined&nbsp;Garden Route&nbsp;tourist route. It is situated 60 kilometres east of the city of&nbsp;George&nbsp;on the&nbsp;N2&nbsp;highway, and 33 kilometres west of the&nbsp;Plettenberg Bay&nbsp;on the same road. Etymology A number of explanations exist &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/aegir-ran.com\/index.php\/knysna\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Knysna&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1155","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aegir-ran.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aegir-ran.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aegir-ran.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aegir-ran.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aegir-ran.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1155"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/aegir-ran.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1155\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1156,"href":"https:\/\/aegir-ran.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1155\/revisions\/1156"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aegir-ran.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}