Historic Houses, Elim, South Africa

MARCH 2004 – Historic houses at the Kerk Straat in Elim, South Africa. © Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com


The story behind the image

On our way from Struisbaai to Hermanus in South Africa we opted for detour through the countryside. We wanted to see the Garden Route behind the (touristic) scenes. This detour lead us through Elim, a former mission station with a population of about 1,500 people. Its key feature are the small thatched houses that have a historic charme.

My photo shows a group of three historic houses at Kerk Straat.

However, here is what I wrote two decades ago:

“If you have been thinking about visiting the village of Elim, you might be disappointed. While the houses are indeed historic, there is not much to it, and it takes a bumpy ride over dozens of kilometers of gravel road. The tarred streets of Elim end at the end of the village. Then you are plunged back to gravel roads.”

It seems, the R43 has been paved since then, so it is easier to get to (and away from) the village.

By the way, this image cannot be shot today anymore, because the community has improved the Kerk Straat by planting a number of trees next to the street, installing a curb and marking spaces for parked cars.


Design ideas


The high resolution image

Capture Date18-MAR-2004
LocationElim, South Africa
CameraCanon AE-1 Program
Image SourceFuji Slide Film
Digital Image SourceEPSON Perfection 4870 Photo
Digital Image Source FormatTIFF, 48 bits/pixel, sRGB
Edited Image FormatJPEG, 24 bits/pixel, sRGB
Edited Image Dimensions6384 x 4126 Pixels
Copyright© by Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com

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