Story Highlights
- Historical event
- 6 April 1652
- The Dutch called it Kaapstad, and established the city as a kind of station for ships which used the major trade route between the Netherlands, the Indian Ocean, and the Far East.
This day in 1652 marked the founding of the city of Cape Town in South Africa.
The Dutch sailor Jan van Riebeeck landed near the famous Cape of Good Hope.
He was an employee of the Dutch East India Company (Dutch: Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie, VOC), possibly the largest company in world history. The company had its own army and money.
The Dutch established the city as a kind of station for ships which used the major trade route between the Netherlands, the Indian Ocean and the Far East.
The Netherlands was the world`s leading economic power, and its ships supplied Europe with colonial products.
The center of Cape Town is situated about 50 kilometers from the Cape of Good Hope. Indeed, the first Dutch fort in that area (Jan van Riebeeck ordered his people to build a fort), was called the Castle of Good Hope (Kasteel de Goede Hoop).
Otherwise, Cape Town has one of the most interesting geographical locations, including all metropolises in the world. The flat-topped Table Mountain rises above the city. Robben Island is located near Cape Town, and Nelson Mandela spent about 18 years in prison on this island.
