How Plettenberg Bay got its Name
Over the next few months, we will take a look at the history of Plettenberg Bay’s street names. To start off though we wanted to take a look at how our beautiful Plettenberg Bay got its name.
“In 1448 the famous Portuguese navigator, Bartolomeu Dias, who opened sea routes between Europe and Asia, named Plettenberg Bay Bahia das Alagoas, “Bay of the Lagoons.” After his well-known stopover at Mossel Bay in his search for a sea route to the Far East, he continued heading east, and stuck to the coastline. He called Robberg Cabo Talhado, “Sharp Cape”, and, seeing the spectacular Outeniquas in the distance, he named the highest peak Pic Formosa, “Beautiful Peak”.
In 1576 another Portuguese seafarers, Manuel da Mesquita Perestrello, reached Bahia das Alagoas, and renamed it Bahia Formosa, or “Bay Beautiful”.
In 1778 Baron Joachim van Plettenberg, who was a Governor of the Cape of Good Hope, arrived here via the Langkloof. He spent his first night in the area at the house of Cornelis Botha, who had established himself as a farmer in the area and lived in the Piesang Valley.
Van Plettenberg decided to name this bay, Plettenberg Bay, after himself; finally, this name stuck. He erected the possessional stone of the Dutch East India Company on the hill that overlooks Central Beach.” – Taken from showme.co.za
Good to know that the Tsitsikamma mountain range, rivers, lagoon and the pure beauty that surrounds Plettenberg Bay was seen and had a great impression on our forefathers.
