Cape Town and Table Mountain
Kapstadt und Tafelberg
seen from Signal Hill
gesehen vom Signal Hill
Signal Hill/Lula Lula Mountain (Afrikaans: Seinheuwel), or Lion's Rump, is a landmark flat-topped hill located in Cape Town, next to Lion's Head and Table Mountain.
The hill was also known as "The Lula Lula Flank", a term now obsolete. Together with Lion's Head, Signal Hill/Lula Lula Mountain looks like a lion sphinx.
Signal flags were used to communicate weather warnings as well as anchoring instructions to visiting ships in order to ensure that they prepared adequately for stormy weather while in the bay. Similarly, ships could use flags to signal for assistance if, for example, an anchor line parted during a storm.
It is known for the Noon Gun that is operated there by the South African Navy and South African Astronomical Observatory. In 1836, a time ball was set up at the Cape Town observatory, however it was not visible to ships in the harbour, so a second time ball was erected on Signal Hill in order to relay the precise moment of 1pm Cape Mean Time. In this way ships in the bay were able to check their marine chronometers. The daily practice of dropping of the ball continued until 1934, when it was made redundant by radio signals.
The guns on Signal Hill were used to notify the public when a ship was in trouble and there was a possibility of casualties on the coast near Cape Town. Three guns would be fired from Chavonnes Battery, followed by a single gun in answer from Imhoff Battery.
There is a road to the summit and that vantage point provides views over the Cape Town city centre and Atlantic Seaboard and surroundings, including at dawn or sunset. Along Signal Hill Road is the Appleton Scout Campsite operated by Scouts South Africa.
There are several tombs, or kramats, on the hill for Muslim missionaries and religious leaders. The most conspicuous one, a white square building with a green dome, is for the sheikh Mohamed Hassen Ghaibie (Shah al-Qadri), a follower of Sheikh Yusuf. Other tombs consist of raised rectangles, decorated with satin. They are still visited by some local Muslim people.
There is a parking lot on top of the signal Hill. There are simple things to eat and mats provided for watching the sunset.
Signal Hill is one of the only places in the world where critically endangered Peninsula Shale Renosterveld vegetation can be found.[citation needed] Peninsula Shale Renosterveld used to be the dominant ecosystem of the Cape Town City Bowl, but was completely endemic, occurring nowhere else in the world.
Urban growth has now covered most of this ecosystem and — along with a tiny patch on Devil's Peak — Signal Hill has the only surviving sample of this vegetation in the world.
(Wikipedia)
Table Mountain (Khoikhoi: Hoerikwaggo, Afrikaans: Tafelberg) is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa, and is featured in the Flag of Cape Town and other local government insignia It is a significant tourist attraction, with many visitors using the cableway or hiking to the top. The mountain forms part of the Table Mountain National Park.
The main feature of Table Mountain is the level plateau approximately 3 kilometres (2 mi) from side to side, edged by impressive cliffs. The plateau, flanked by Devil's Peak to the east and by Lion's Head to the west, forms a dramatic backdrop to Cape Town. This broad sweep of mountainous heights, together with Signal Hill, forms the natural amphitheatre of the City Bowl and Table Bay harbour. The highest point on Table Mountain is towards the eastern end of the plateau and is marked by Maclear's Beacon, a stone cairn built in 1865 by Sir Thomas Maclear for trigonometrical survey. It is 1,086 metres (3,563 ft) above sea level, about 19 metres (62 ft) higher than the cable station at the western end of the plateau.
The cliffs of the main plateau are split by Platteklip Gorge ("Flat Stone Gorge"), which provides an easy and direct ascent to the summit and was the route taken by António de Saldanha on the first recorded ascent of the mountain in 1503.
The flat top of the mountain is often covered by orographic clouds, formed when a south-easterly wind is directed up the mountain's slopes into colder air, where the moisture condenses to form the so-called "table cloth" of cloud. Legend attributes this phenomenon to a smoking contest between the Devil and a local pirate called Van Hunks. When the table cloth is seen, it symbolizes the contest.
Table Mountain is at the northern end of a sandstone mountain range that forms the spine of the Cape Peninsula. To the south of the main plateau is a lower part of the range called the Back Table. On the Atlantic coast of the peninsula, the range is known as the Twelve Apostles. The range continues southwards to Cape Point.
(Wikipedia)
Signal Hill (Afrikaans: Seinheuwel), auch „Körper des Löwen“ (Lion´s Rump) genannt, ist ein markanter Berg mit flachem Gipfel neben dem Tafelberg und Lion’s Head in Kapstadt, Südafrika. Er ist 350 m hoch und bietet Aussicht auf die Waterfront und die dahinter liegende Tafelbucht.
Den Namen „Signal Hill“ verdankt der Berg einem Zeitsignal für Schiffe. Im Jahr 1836 wurde am Kapstädter Observatorium (South African Astronomical Observatory) auf einem Holzgerüst ein Zeitball installiert, nachdem man zuvor das Signal mit einem Pistolenschuß vom Dach des Gebäudes abgab. Der Zeitball war im Zuge des zunehmenden Dockausbaus im Hafen nicht für alle Schiffe sichtbar. Aus diesem Grund wurde ein zweiter Zeitball auf dem Signal Hill errichtet. Dieser gab sein Signal zur Mittagszeit (13 Uhr Kapstädter Zeit), wonach die Schiffschronometer verlässlich überprüft werden konnten. Zur besseren Sichtbarkeit des Signals errichtete man 1894 an der Victoria & Alfred Waterfront einen dritten Zeitballturm, der nun von hier das Zeitsignal an die Schiffe weitergab. Diese Praxis wurde bis 1934 beibehalten. Kanonensignale vom Signal Hill gab es in den Fällen, wenn ein Schiff vor dem Hafen in Schwierigkeiten gekommen war.
Die Briten führten Kanonen zur Signalgebung 1795 in der Kapregion ein, bekannt geworden dafür ist die Schlacht von Muizenberg. Kanonenschüsse zum Zwecke der Benachrichtigung der Einwohner Kapstadts über eintreffende Schiffe gab es in Kapstadt später. Ursprünglich waren es zwei Kanonen, die im Castle of Good Hope standen. Seit 1806 wurden hier durch die Briten mit abgefeuerten Kanonen auch Zeitsignale gegeben. Als man die Schüsse für das Stadtzentrum als zu laut empfand, wurden die Kanonensignale verlegt. Seit dem 4. August 1902 werden vom Signal Hill mit der Cape Town's Noon Gun diese Schüsse abgegeben. Noch heute werden sie zur Traditionspflege zwischen Montag und Samstag jeweils täglich um 12 Uhr abgefeuert.
(Wikipedia)
Der Tafelberg (englisch: Table Mountain) im südafrikanischen Kapstadt liegt im nördlichen Teil einer Bergkette auf der circa 52 km langen und bis zu 16 km breiten Kap-Halbinsel, an deren Südende sich das Kap der Guten Hoffnung befindet. Er prägt die Silhouette Kapstadts. Der höchste Punkt des Tafelberges ist Maclear’s Beacon (Maclears Signalfeuer) am nordöstlichen Ende des Felsplateaus mit 1087 m. Der Tafelberg umfasst eine Gesamtfläche von rund 6500 Hektar.
(Wikipedia)
Cape Town and Table Mountain
Kapstadt und Tafelberg
seen from Signal Hill
gesehen vom Signal Hill
Signal Hill/Lula Lula Mountain (Afrikaans: Seinheuwel), or Lion's Rump, is a landmark flat-topped hill located in Cape Town, next to Lion's Head and Table Mountain.
The hill was also known as "The Lula Lula Flank", a term now obsolete. Together with Lion's Head, Signal Hill/Lula Lula Mountain looks like a lion sphinx.
Signal flags were used to communicate weather warnings as well as anchoring instructions to visiting ships in order to ensure that they prepared adequately for stormy weather while in the bay. Similarly, ships could use flags to signal for assistance if, for example, an anchor line parted during a storm.
It is known for the Noon Gun that is operated there by the South African Navy and South African Astronomical Observatory. In 1836, a time ball was set up at the Cape Town observatory, however it was not visible to ships in the harbour, so a second time ball was erected on Signal Hill in order to relay the precise moment of 1pm Cape Mean Time. In this way ships in the bay were able to check their marine chronometers. The daily practice of dropping of the ball continued until 1934, when it was made redundant by radio signals.
The guns on Signal Hill were used to notify the public when a ship was in trouble and there was a possibility of casualties on the coast near Cape Town. Three guns would be fired from Chavonnes Battery, followed by a single gun in answer from Imhoff Battery.
There is a road to the summit and that vantage point provides views over the Cape Town city centre and Atlantic Seaboard and surroundings, including at dawn or sunset. Along Signal Hill Road is the Appleton Scout Campsite operated by Scouts South Africa.
There are several tombs, or kramats, on the hill for Muslim missionaries and religious leaders. The most conspicuous one, a white square building with a green dome, is for the sheikh Mohamed Hassen Ghaibie (Shah al-Qadri), a follower of Sheikh Yusuf. Other tombs consist of raised rectangles, decorated with satin. They are still visited by some local Muslim people.
There is a parking lot on top of the signal Hill. There are simple things to eat and mats provided for watching the sunset.
Signal Hill is one of the only places in the world where critically endangered Peninsula Shale Renosterveld vegetation can be found.[citation needed] Peninsula Shale Renosterveld used to be the dominant ecosystem of the Cape Town City Bowl, but was completely endemic, occurring nowhere else in the world.
Urban growth has now covered most of this ecosystem and — along with a tiny patch on Devil's Peak — Signal Hill has the only surviving sample of this vegetation in the world.
(Wikipedia)
Table Mountain (Khoikhoi: Hoerikwaggo, Afrikaans: Tafelberg) is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa, and is featured in the Flag of Cape Town and other local government insignia It is a significant tourist attraction, with many visitors using the cableway or hiking to the top. The mountain forms part of the Table Mountain National Park.
The main feature of Table Mountain is the level plateau approximately 3 kilometres (2 mi) from side to side, edged by impressive cliffs. The plateau, flanked by Devil's Peak to the east and by Lion's Head to the west, forms a dramatic backdrop to Cape Town. This broad sweep of mountainous heights, together with Signal Hill, forms the natural amphitheatre of the City Bowl and Table Bay harbour. The highest point on Table Mountain is towards the eastern end of the plateau and is marked by Maclear's Beacon, a stone cairn built in 1865 by Sir Thomas Maclear for trigonometrical survey. It is 1,086 metres (3,563 ft) above sea level, about 19 metres (62 ft) higher than the cable station at the western end of the plateau.
The cliffs of the main plateau are split by Platteklip Gorge ("Flat Stone Gorge"), which provides an easy and direct ascent to the summit and was the route taken by António de Saldanha on the first recorded ascent of the mountain in 1503.
The flat top of the mountain is often covered by orographic clouds, formed when a south-easterly wind is directed up the mountain's slopes into colder air, where the moisture condenses to form the so-called "table cloth" of cloud. Legend attributes this phenomenon to a smoking contest between the Devil and a local pirate called Van Hunks. When the table cloth is seen, it symbolizes the contest.
Table Mountain is at the northern end of a sandstone mountain range that forms the spine of the Cape Peninsula. To the south of the main plateau is a lower part of the range called the Back Table. On the Atlantic coast of the peninsula, the range is known as the Twelve Apostles. The range continues southwards to Cape Point.
(Wikipedia)
Signal Hill (Afrikaans: Seinheuwel), auch „Körper des Löwen“ (Lion´s Rump) genannt, ist ein markanter Berg mit flachem Gipfel neben dem Tafelberg und Lion’s Head in Kapstadt, Südafrika. Er ist 350 m hoch und bietet Aussicht auf die Waterfront und die dahinter liegende Tafelbucht.
Den Namen „Signal Hill“ verdankt der Berg einem Zeitsignal für Schiffe. Im Jahr 1836 wurde am Kapstädter Observatorium (South African Astronomical Observatory) auf einem Holzgerüst ein Zeitball installiert, nachdem man zuvor das Signal mit einem Pistolenschuß vom Dach des Gebäudes abgab. Der Zeitball war im Zuge des zunehmenden Dockausbaus im Hafen nicht für alle Schiffe sichtbar. Aus diesem Grund wurde ein zweiter Zeitball auf dem Signal Hill errichtet. Dieser gab sein Signal zur Mittagszeit (13 Uhr Kapstädter Zeit), wonach die Schiffschronometer verlässlich überprüft werden konnten. Zur besseren Sichtbarkeit des Signals errichtete man 1894 an der Victoria & Alfred Waterfront einen dritten Zeitballturm, der nun von hier das Zeitsignal an die Schiffe weitergab. Diese Praxis wurde bis 1934 beibehalten. Kanonensignale vom Signal Hill gab es in den Fällen, wenn ein Schiff vor dem Hafen in Schwierigkeiten gekommen war.
Die Briten führten Kanonen zur Signalgebung 1795 in der Kapregion ein, bekannt geworden dafür ist die Schlacht von Muizenberg. Kanonenschüsse zum Zwecke der Benachrichtigung der Einwohner Kapstadts über eintreffende Schiffe gab es in Kapstadt später. Ursprünglich waren es zwei Kanonen, die im Castle of Good Hope standen. Seit 1806 wurden hier durch die Briten mit abgefeuerten Kanonen auch Zeitsignale gegeben. Als man die Schüsse für das Stadtzentrum als zu laut empfand, wurden die Kanonensignale verlegt. Seit dem 4. August 1902 werden vom Signal Hill mit der Cape Town's Noon Gun diese Schüsse abgegeben. Noch heute werden sie zur Traditionspflege zwischen Montag und Samstag jeweils täglich um 12 Uhr abgefeuert.
(Wikipedia)
Der Tafelberg (englisch: Table Mountain) im südafrikanischen Kapstadt liegt im nördlichen Teil einer Bergkette auf der circa 52 km langen und bis zu 16 km breiten Kap-Halbinsel, an deren Südende sich das Kap der Guten Hoffnung befindet. Er prägt die Silhouette Kapstadts. Der höchste Punkt des Tafelberges ist Maclear’s Beacon (Maclears Signalfeuer) am nordöstlichen Ende des Felsplateaus mit 1087 m. Der Tafelberg umfasst eine Gesamtfläche von rund 6500 Hektar.
(Wikipedia)