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The valley was originally settled in 1688 by 176 French Huguenot refugees, many of whom were given land by the Dutch government in a valley called Olifantshoek ("Elephants' corner"), so named because of the vast herds of elephants that roamed the area.
The name of the area soon changed to le Coin Français ("the French Corner"), and later to Franschhoek (Afrikaans for "French Corner"), with many of the settlers naming their new farms after the areas in France from which they came. La Motte, La Cotte, Cabrière, Provence, Chamonix, Dieu Donné and La Dauphine were among some of the first established farms most of which still retain their original farm houses today
Franschhoek Gallery ( click on thumbnail to view larger image )