Elim, Western Cape

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Elim is a village in the Western Cape of South Africa. It was originally a Moravian Mission Station established on the Agulhas Plain by German missionaries in 1824. The missionaries not only brought the Gospel there but they also taught the people various trades and skills. The Elim thatchers are particularly renowned for their craftsmanship. This picturesque village has changed little over the years and, until this day; only members of the Moravian Church lived there. Elim is filled with whitewashed cottages, fruit trees and fynbos. All the roads in the village lead to the thatch roofed church. The community, still mainly Moravian, consists of farmers, farm workers and artisans. The area is becoming renowned for the export of fynbos and the cultivation of vineyards. Elim has the only monument honoring the liberation of slaves in all of South Africa.

When selecting a location for their mission stations the Moravian missionaries placed high importance on the proximity of water to the location. It was also vital that the terrain was suitable for planting vines so that communion wine could easily be produced.