Weenen

Weenen is a small rural town in the Battlefield region of KwaZulu

Weenen is a small rural town established by the Trekkers after avenging the masscre at Bloukrans (nearby). It is the second oldest town in KwaZulu-Natal. The distant blue hills and undulating thornveld valleys of KwaZulu-Natal make a superb backdrop for the scenic Weenen Game Reserve.

In Afrikaans "Weenen" means "weeping" after the defeats suffered by the Voortrekkers at the hands of the Zulus at Bloukrans and Moordspruit. 10kms from Weenen on the Muden road is an isivivane - a large pile of stones six metres in diameter and one metre high. Stones were placed by travellers on the isivivane by picking up the stone with the toes of the left foot, transferring it to the right hand, spitting on it and throwing it on to the pile.

Weenen Museum

The excellent museum (also from 1838) houses a collection of Voortrekker artifacts and was constructed by Voortrekker leader Andries Pretorius whose waterwheel is one of the exhibits. It has previously done service as a magistrates office, post office and a prison. Between 1907 and 1983 a narrow gauge railway connected Weenen with Estcourt and provided an outlet for its produce and was thus called the "Cabbage Express.

Accommodation in and around Weenen