Â鶹APP

Moravian Mission Museum der Moravian Church in Genadendal- Author; Thomas Rüfner-

Top 10 Facts about Genadendal Mission Museum, Greyton

This interesting and Historic Village of Genadendal is the oldest Moravian Mission Village in Africa, with Church buildings and a School that dates back to 1738.

The original Moravian Mission Church houses the oldest pipe organ in South Africa.

1. It was established by a young missionary

An early missionary (circa 1878)- Author; Henry L. Chase-

Genadendal, which means; ‘Valley of Grace,’ is located just 5km from Greyton South Africa. It was originally called Baviaanskloof (Baboon Ravine) and was established in 1738 by the young Moravian missionary, Georg Schmidt.

He arrived at a time when the Khoisan, already suffering under the influx of White farmers, were reeling from a smallpox epidemic to which they had no immunity. As a people, they were on the verge of extinction and, against enormous odds, Schmidt formed a small congregation and taught the Khoisan to read and write.

His good works came unstuck, however, when he began baptising the converts and the Dutch clergy based in Cape Town were horrified by this. According to them, Schmidt was not an ordained minister and therefore had no right to administer the sacraments. In 1743, Schmidt was forced to return to Europe.

2. Was abandoned at one point for almost 50 years

An abondoned ruin- Photo by David Baker on

The Mission Station was abandoned until almost 50 years later when three Missionaries returned to resume Schmidt’s work.

A famous story from Genadendal is that, when the men returned to the forsaken mission station, they met up with an old woman, Magdalena, who still had the Bible she had been given decades before when she had been baptised by Schmidt.

Although nearly blind, Magdalena had treasured her Bible safely wrapped in skin until the missionaries returned to their flock at Genadendal. To date, her bible takes pride in the premises of the Village’s Cultural History Museum.

Once again there were all sorts of objections to the work the Missionaries were doing and they were initially prohibited from building a Chapel or Church and they had to meet in the open or in their Cottages.

They were even refused permission to ring a bell to call the children to School and the congregation to assemble.

British occupation changed this, however, and by 1800 the first Church was completed, but it soon became too small for the rapidly expanding congregation.

3. Unfortunately, it has never recovered. It remains to be a forgotten remote place

Genadendal Cottage Museum- Author;Zaian-

Today Genadendal, with its 3 500 registered occupants, is a forgotten, remote, underdeveloped and degraded village.

Not even the new democratic dispensation or the former State President, Mr Mandela, in renaming his official residence Genadendal, in 1995, could change its plight.

Many residents pray now for spiritual revival that will save the community from total destruction. There’s always the chance for redemption and rebirth and hopefully, Genadendal will soon experience another golden age.

To start with, each year the museum reaps honeybush tea from plants nearby and packages this fragrant tea for sale at the museum shop. They also make honeybush iced tea – the perfect thirst quencher on a blistering hot summer’s day. It’s a small start, but many of the residents believe that it will flourish and return to its former glory.

4. Genadendal Mission museum has a rich history that makes you understand the historical background of the Khoisan people

Early Khoisan people- Author; Samuel Daniell-

The Khoisan laws of 1808 instituted by the Colonial Government only served to boost the Mission Station.

Under these laws, all Khoisan without a fixed abode were liable to be forced into Farm labour. Given the dire conditions on Farms, the Mission Stations, which provided access to Land in return for conversion to Christianity, became a very attractive alternative.

Genadendal was so successful that at one point it was the largest Settlement in the Colony after Cape Town. 

A group of Strandveld farmers also threatened to put an end to the missionary work; because at the time the farmers were largely illiterate and were enormously unhappy about the idea of an educated and skilled underclass.

They also faced an economic crisis, because of potential labourers that flocked to Genadendal instead.

5. Flourished until the end of the 19th century

Genadendal flourished until the end of the nineteenth Century. The first Teachers’ Training College in South Africa was built there in 1838.

Genadendal also opened the first Guest House and Chemist, in the interior and in 1830 it had one of the best public, lending libraries at the Cape.

However, in the 1860s, when Factories began producing mass products that were much cheaper, people turned away from the hand-crafted items Genadendal was famous for. Thus, residents had to leave the village and head to the city in search of work.

Legislation at the time was also far from equitable and the Communal Reserve Act of 1909 for Mission Stations, which granted inhabitants occupational rights only but prevented them from getting property rights, caused an enormous rift between the missionaries and residents.

The last straw came in 1926 when the Teachers’ Training College was closed down by the Department of Public Education which argued that coloured people didn’t need tertiary education if they were going to be employed on local Farms.

6. It has a hiking trail

A hiking trail- Photo by Ralph (Ravi) Kayden on

Unsurprisingly, there is also a hiking trail, known as the Genadendal Hiking Trail. It begins and ends in this little Town and winds its way through the Riviersonderend Mountains

7. It has a church that was built in 1891

Moravian Mission Museum der Moravian Church in Genadendal- Author; Thomas Rüfner-

At the far end of the village, under giant oak trees, is a cluster of ochre-yellow buildings around the church, which was built in 1891.

When you peek inside, you will see the white-painted wooden benches, a haven of simplicity compared to some places of worship that are overly ornate.

P.S: The pipe organ is said to be the oldest in South Africa.

8. The main museum was built in 1838

Genadendal Mission Museum- Author; Zaian-

The main museum building was erected in 1838 as South Africa’s first teacher’s training college. Genadendal was also the site of South Africa’s very first kindergarten.

Inside, posters tell the story of Genadendal and the mission station, hinting at why it was one of the most progressive communities in the Cape in the 19th century.

Upstairs, there are collections of musical instruments, displays of children’s toys and games, basketry and blacksmithing, as well as a huge space devoted to the old kitchen equipment.

9. It was once an industrial town that made knives and furniture

manufacturing industry- Author; Lewis Hine-

Today, the peacefulness of the church and its shady trees gives little hint that it was once an industrial town that made knives and furniture. The missionaries also did pioneering work in education, music, printing and architecture.

When visiting, you can explore the historic precinct in order to see the old water mill, which is still in working order, next to a tinkling stream.

You can even get a key to the printing history museum from the tourist info office across from the church if you would be interested in seeing the old printing press.

Depending on how intriguing you find history and old buildings, you could spend anything from 30 minutes to three hours burrowing through the wealth that Genadendal has to offer.

10. Was declared a national cultural treasure

National Cultural Treasure Marker- Author; Roel Balingit-

Declared a national cultural treasure, the collection at Genadendal museum is seen as the most authentic community museum in South Africa.