Person

Simon van der Stel

1639–1712 · 17th century

Simon van der Stel was commander and then the first governor of the Dutch Cape Colony from 1679 to 1699. He founded the town of Stellenbosch in 1679, encouraged settlement and wine-growing, and settled French Huguenot refugees in the colony from 1688. His estate of Groot Constantia became one of the oldest wine farms in South Africa.

Simon van der Stel
Image: Pieter van Anraedt · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Dutch Cape Colony

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Simon van der Stel. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/simon-van-der-stel
MLA
“Simon van der Stel.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/simon-van-der-stel. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Simon van der Stel.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/simon-van-der-stel.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Simon van der Stel’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/simon-van-der-stel (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻