Swellendam lies in a well watered valley under the imposing peaks of the Langeberg Mountains. The third oldest town in South Africa, it is now a busy agricultural center. A number of handsome old buildings have been preserved from the town's early days.
The territory round Swellendam was originally occupied by the Hassekwa, a Hottentot tribe,
who built their kraals here because of the abundance of game in the area. In Bontebokskloof can be seen the graves of the last two chiefs of the tribe, Klaas and Markus Shababa.
Swellendam was founded in 1745 as an outpost of the Dutch East India Company and named after Governor Swellengrebel and his wife Helena ten Damme. During the 19th C, as a center of wool production, it developed into a flourishing commercial and administrative town.
Swellendam has preserved numerous historic old buildings, including some very handsome villas, in Cape Dutch, Georgian and Victorian style. Most of them are in Voortrek Street and round the Drostdy Museum complex.