Fort Merensky is located near the town of Middelburg in the south of the African continent. It is named after a German, built by a German, but appeared because of the struggle for independence of the African people.
The ruins of the fort still remain in the middle of the arid African plain. The reddish-brown stones seem to have grown out of the ground and have taken this shape on their own. The аort combines the German Gothic and African style and fits perfectly into this landscape.
Even though the fort is destroyed, you can wander through the ruins. Such a walk gives a special pleasure as the reality here merges with fantasy and ideas about what events took place at that time.
And that`s what happened there. At the end of the XIX century, the German missionary Alexander Merensky settled in these places. He was sent to the Middelburg area to convert the locals to Christianity. But the African leaders were against the new faith and the new people on their territory. Sekhukhune, the King of the Pedi decided to drive the stranger away. Even the fact that Merensky built Fort William did not stop the King's attacks.
Alexander and his flock were forced to flee. So, wandering through the mountains and hiding from the warring tribes, Merensky built a fort over one of the local villages called Botshabelo to protect the parishioners who settled there. By that time there were already more than 400 of them. But the King, defending the identity of his people, did not stop fighting. He was afraid that Christianity would undermine his authority.
Luck was on the side of the King Sekhukhune and the German was forced to flee. Sekhukhune banned Christianity on the island, but he kept the fort. Today it is an open-air museum. A symbol that Africans were able to defend their culture and traditions.
Get to the top. The tower is not too high (only five meters), but the view is beautiful. You can look at this plain endlessly. Especially at sunset.