Оңтүстік Африканың Германұс қаласы

the South African town

Hermanus (originally called Hermanuspietersfontein, but shortened in 1902 as the name was too long for the postal service), is a town on the southern coast of the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is known for Southern Right whale watching during the southern winter to spring seasons, and is a popular retirement location.

Hermanus Pieters (ca.1778–1837) was a Dutch teacher who arrived in Cape Town in 1815. He was recruited by Dutch speaking farmers who disliked that English was the only language used in all government schools. He settled in Caledon, but taught Dutch to farmers in a wide area around that town, including the Hemel en Aarde Valley. He often vacationed at the spring ("fontein") in present day Hermanus, where he fished and grazed his sheep, the place eventually became known as “Hermanus Pieters se Fonteyn”. He died before the village Hermanuspietersfontein existed. 65 years after his death the postmaster decided to abbreviate the name to Hermanus. Zwelihle, designated a "black" area by the apartheid era government, is a residential area that consists mainly of shacks.

Hermanus is classified as having a warm summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen). It receives roughly 520 mm of rain per annum, the majority of which falls during the winter months of June to August in the form of frontal precipitation. Average midday temperatures range from 25 °C in February to 16 °C in July. Other beaches with Blue Flag status include Voëlklip, Onrus, Kammabaai, Langbaai, and Hawston. The rugged coastline also hosts many other smaller beaches, coves and tidal pools.

Hermanus is in the Cape Floristic Region and thus has one of the highest plant diversity levels in the world. The principal vegetation type of this region is fynbos, a mixture of evergreen shrub like plants with small firm leaves. In the local Fernkloof Nature Reserve, 1,474 plant species have thus far been collected and identified.

Over 100 varieties of bird species reside in the Greater Hermanus area. Species such as the Orange breasted Sunbird, the Cape Sugarbird, Victorin's Warbler, and other rare animals, make Hermanus a destination for bird enthusiasts.

The town is noted for the presence of whales that often swim within sight of the coastline of the town. Although the Southern Right whale is the most prolific species in Hermanus bay, it is not the only species in the area. The whales can be seen from the cliffs all along the coast from as early as June and usually depart in early December. They were once hunted in the nearby town of Betty's Bay, but are now protected. The Old Harbour Museum contains several exhibitions that explain the local whaling industry, and the De Wetshuis Photo Museum houses an exhibition of photos by T. D. Ravenscroft that depicts the history of Hermanus. The Whale Museum houses a skeleton of a whale and shows an audio visual presentation of whales and dolphins twice daily. Visitors can watch whales from the cliff tops, from the air or via boats. Since August 1992, Hermanus has had the world's only whale crier, the first being Pieter Classen 1992 1998, then Wilson Salukazana 1998 2006, and Zolile Baleni since April 2006, who sounds his kelp horn to announce where whales have been sighted. In 2005, Zakes Mda wrote the novel The Whale Caller in which the Whale Crier of Hermanus is the main character, a man who gets enthralled by a southern right whale he names Sharisha. The book was adapted into a 2016 movie by the same name.

Hermanus hosts an annual Hermanus Whale Festival at the end of September, to celebrate the calving and mating season. Eco Tourism is the main theme of the Hermanus whale festival with the Eco Marine Village. Residents and visitors celebrate the migration of Southern Right Whales and other marine wildlife with ocean themed activities and exhibitions, emphasizing education and environmentally responsible adventures and activities. Prior to this main whale festival, a Kalfiefees (or Calf Festival) is held, to welcome the first whales (usually in August). Both festivals are characterized by food and craft stalls, environmental presentations, and South African drama productions.

H. A. Humphrey (1868 – 1951), engineer and inventor. Ernest Frederick Watermeyer (1880 1958), lawyer and Chief Justice of South Africa. Stuart Cloete (1897 – 1976), novelist and author. Evered Poole (1902 – 1969), South African World War 2 military commander and diplomat. Louis Roy Serrurier (1905 – 1990), cricketer. Uys Krige (1910 1987), writer and novelist. Cecil Michaelis (1913 1997), artist and philanthropist. Athol Rowan (1921 1998), cricketer. Dick Westcott (1927 2013), cricketer. Julian Sleigh (1927 2013), priest and author. Harvey Wood Tyson (1928 – 2018), journalist and writer. Paul Johnstone (1930 – 1996), South African rugby player. John Michael Kumleben (1933 – 2014), cricketer. Piet du Toit (1935 1996), rugby player. Mervyn Gotsman (1935), professor of Cardiology. Barry Hilton (1956), stand up comedian. Frank Opperman (1960), actor and musician. Petrus du Plessis (1981), rugby player and coach. Eden Links (1989), cricketer. Leolin Zas (1991), rugby player. Robert Hunt (1996), rugby player.