Philippolis

Philippolis
Country  South Africa
Province Free State
Time zone SAST (UTC+2)
Postal code 9970
Area code(s) 051
Historical states
in present-day
South Africa
more

Philippolis is a small town in the Free State province of South Africa. It was founded as a missionary outpost for the Bushman in 1823, making it the oldest settlement in the Free State. It was named after John Philip of the London Missionary Society. Adam Kok II, a Griqua leader, settled here with his people in 1826 and was made the protector of the mission. However, Kok and his followers killed all the Bushmen at the Mission Station.

Kok's son Adam Kok III and his followers later migrated across the Drakensberg mountains to settle in Kokstad. The writer and intellectual Sir Laurens van der Post was born in Philippolis. Today the town is becoming a popular tourist destination because of its historical value, architecture and rural lifestyle.