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At the time of the rise of the Zulu Empire, the site that was to become Pietermaritzburg was called Umgungundlovu. This is popularly translated from the Zulu as, "Place of the Elephant". In fact, the Zulu could be translated to mean, "The elephant wins". Umgungundhlovu is thus thought to be the site of some Zulu king's victory, since "Elephant" (Inhlovu) is a name traditionally taken by the Zulu monarch. Legend has it that Shaka had his warriors hunt elephant there, to sell the ivory to English traders at Durban, then called Port Natal. Today, the town is still called by its Voortrekker name, although the municipality it is part of bears the Zulu name. The first Newspaper in Natal, the Natal Witness (now known as The Witness , was published in 1846 . The 46 hectare Botanic Gardens were created in 1872 by the Botanic Society of Natal. The city hall is the largest red-brick building in the Southern Hemisphere. It was destroyed by fire in 1895, but was rebuilt in 1901. The University of Natal started in 1909 as the Natal University College and extended to Durban in 1922. The two campuses were incorporated into the University of Natal in March 1949. It became a major voice in the struggle against Apartheid, and was one of the first universities in the country to provide education to black students. This campus boasts association with a remarkable array of world-class academics and has famous alumni destributed throughout the world. Description Pietermaritzburg is a beautiful city, nesting among wooded hills.Its centre lies between the Dorp Spruit (Town Creek) and the Umsindusi rivers. The city was laid out according to Dutch tradition, and so has a Church Street and a Commercial Road intersecting at right angles at its heart. Other street names, such as Longmarket Street and Loop Street (Walk Street) are reminiscent of the same tradition. The city remains traditionally Victorian, with wrought-iron lace-like work on several of its older buildings. It is one of the best preserved Victorian cities in the World. Pietermaritzburg is the gateway between Johannesburg and Durban as a result there are many bus services, rail services and taxis available on a daily basis. Pietermaritzburg has a airport, which is known as Oribi Airport. It is not a international airport but it offers national destinations and inter - city flights. The city lies some 600-700 metres above sea level, and so has a cooler and more extreme climate than Durban or the Kwazulu-Natal Coast. The summers tend to be very hot and tropical, with thunder storms and temperatures well above 30 degrees Celsius in mid-summer. The winters are usually very dry and can be quite cold with several degrees of frost during some nights. The rivers flood unpredictably, and disastrous floods of both the Umsindusi and the Dorp Spruit have been reported sporadically at most times of the year: even during the dry season. Popular attractions in the city include the Lion Park on the South-Eastern side of the town and a few game parks. These, together with the spectacular scenery afforded by the surrounding country-side, especially the Drakensberg Mountain areas, make Pietermaritzburg a sought-after tourist destination. Vistitors to Kwazulu-Natal are well advised to include the region in their itineraries. Mahatma Gandhi Pietermaritzburg is also famous for an incident early in the life of Mahatma Gandhi , wherein he was thrown off a train for riding in the first class carriage (and being Indian). This incident inspired Gandhi to begin his career protesting against laws discriminating against Indians in South Africa. Today, a bronze statue of Gandhi stands in Church Street, in the city centre. in the center of downtown Pietermaritzburg , South Africa .]] Capital Status Pietermarizburg is one of Africa's most historic capitals, It is a thriving, friendly city. Prior to the end of Apartheid in 1994 , Pietermaritzburg was the capital of the South African province of Natal. Following the first post-apartheid elections in South Africa, as a result of which the Inkatha Freedom Party won a majority in the KwaZulu Natal provincial government, Pietermaritzburg shared its status as capital of the (then newly-created) province of KwaZulu Natal with Ulundi . Pietermaritzburg became the legislative capital of the new province, while Ulundi became the administrative capital. The IFP, being strongly Zulu nationalist, desired that Ulundi, the capital of the Zulu Kingdom at the time of its fall to the British in the Anglo-Zulu War , be the post-apartheid capital of the province. Ulundi had also been the capital of the Bantustan KwaZulu , which makes up a portion of modern KwaZulu Natal. However, Ulundi severely lacked the infrastructure to be an effective seat of government, and the ANC and the DP , the two other strong political parties in the province, among others, called for Pietermaritzburg alone to be the capital. The debate came to an end when the ANC came to power in the province in 2004, and named Pietermaritzburg the sole capital of KwaZulu Natal; this resulted in a rapid rise in house prices. SPORT In January there is an annual Canoe race, Dusi Canoe Marathon , from Pietermaritzburg to Durban . The route follows the Msunduzi River into the Mgeni River , through the Valley Of A Thousand Hills into the Inanda Dam and from here to the mouth of the Mgeni River. The Comrades Marathon takes place annually in June between Pietermaritzburg and Durban. It has been run since 1921 and attracts thousands of entrants. The start of the race alternates between the two cities. The Midmar Mile is one of the largest open-water swimming events in the world; taking place at Midmar Dam, north of Pietermaritzburg in February every year, it attracts over 16,000 swimmers from around the world. FAMOUS RESIDENTS
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