Pietermaritzburg, capital of the province of KwaZulu/Natal, lies in a fertile agricultural region. It is the seat of South Africa's Supreme Court and of the University of Natal, and is also an important industrial and commercial center.
Pietermaritzburg was founded in 1838, after the Boer victory over the Zulus in the
battle of Blood River, and named after the two Boer leaders, Pieter Retief and Gerrit Maritz. When the republic of Natal was established in the following year Pietermaritzburg became its capital. After the annexation of the republic by Britain the headquarters of British administration was moved to Pietermaritzburg (1843), a garrison was stationed here and Fort Napier was built. The town later became capital of the British colony of Natal and in 1910 the seat of government of the province of Natal.
Pietermaritzburg is abundantly supplied with parks and gardens and with historic buildings, now protected as national monuments or museums, and has preserved much of its British colonial architecture and atmosphere. In 1990 Church Street became an attractive pedestrian precinct and shopping mall with a great variety of shops, including a very well-known bookshop, and handsome buildings.
The city center can be seen on foot, in a tour starting from City Hall in Churchill Square, immediately adjoining which are the tourist information bureau and parking lot facilities.
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