This week I decided to visit my alma mater, the P.J. Olivier art center on the braak.
Most Stellenbossers would have heard of the art center. It is where the high schools in town (including Bloemhof, Paul Roos Gymnasium and Rhenish Girls High) go for arts and culture. The school also has extra curricular art programs from Grade 1-12.
The school has a large bi-annual exhibition of student work. So if you see the 'exhibition' banner up, visit if you can! The artworks range from sculpture, photography, illustration, ceramics, textiles, painting to jewelry design.
Part of the Rhenish complex
The old PJ Olivier building belonged to the Rhenish Missionary Society and is historically part of what is known as the Rynse kompleks or Rhenish complex - find a map on Stellenboschheritage.co.za. Most of the buildings around the Braak belonged to the Missionary Society. From the art school's website:
In 1967 the Art Centre moved to its current location in Blom Street, on the historical Braak. The buildings which house the Art Centre have been declared a national monument and are regarded as one of the historical treasures of Stellenbosch. The original single story building was built before 1817. Additions to enlarge it were made between 1880 and 1890. These additions were made in order to house the growing Rhenish Institute. The Annex building which was previously used to house the classrooms and school hall of the Rhenish Institute was built in 1905.
The first home of the art school was in Fernbank Villa in Van Riebeeck Street, a street with many stories.
What does 'Ryns' or 'Rhenish' mean?
The origin of this word is actually quite obvious. It refers to the Rhine of Rhein in Europe, a river that flows from the Alps and into the sea at the Netherlands (see the map below). I suspect the word Rhein in Rhenish has the same roots as 'Rembrandt van Rijn' - referring to someone who lives near the Rhine.
The Rhine Missionary Society was the largest missionary organization in Germany, and their first missionaries were sent to South Africa in 1828. Whuppertal in the Cederberge was their first settlement. Duits-Wes Afrika, today Namibia, was later colonized by the German missionaries.
Influential Germans in Stellenbosch
The Rhenish settlers also had a big impact in Stellenbosch, especially in the field of education. I wrote a short blog about Mr Alheit and Mr Knoop (or Knab), two of the first teachers in Stellenbosch: Alheit and Knoop - onderwysers met klas.
Two other influential Rhenish Missionaries in Stellenbosch were Juffernbruch (a street in Idas Valley was named after him), and P.D. Lückhoff, who inspired the name Lückhoff High School. Luckhoff High School was originally in Banhoek Road, but because of the group area act was moved to the outskirts of the town. In 2007 the University hosted a reconciliation event where the building was returned to the people of the community.
Cluver street is also named after a German resident.
Who was P.J. Olivier?
Philippus J. Olivier (1901-1958) was an Administrator of the old Cape province and founded many hospitals, schools and other institutions. He was not himself an artist, but studied agriculture in Stellenbosch and later in Sydney, Australia. He worked as farmer and, when he was about 40 years old, entered the political arena. The Afrikaans High School in Grahamstown was also named after him.
