I received an email from a resident of Clarens yesterday setting the Paul Kruger story straight. I explained to Mr Schlub that I had got the info from a Yahoo main site. It was also mentioned on SAfm's 7am news broadcast - so these authoratitive sources are much at fault as I am!
So to the Claranites who took offence to my previous blog - sorry!
I have also now traced down the correct info as mentioned by Rolf Schlub and have inserted the info after the copy of his email.
What amazes me is that there are only a few (5 to be exact) people who know about my blog, and none of them live in Clarens! After receiving Rolf's email I hunted for my blog site on Google, (search for Clarens) and after 35 pages gave up. I did the same for Clarens Blogs, Andrew Knapp Blog and a couple of other permutations of words - the result...nothing...nada...zip! My question now is, Rolf, how on earth did you find my site in the first place?!
Rolf's email is as follows and I wish him well in his project to link the towns.
Dear Mr.Knapp,
I have read your blog from the 9.June 2009 with great interest. It is very unfortunate that I have dedected serious flaws in your statements.
There is no Town by the name of CLARINS in Switzerland, there is however a Town by the name of CLARENS, which belongs to the municipality of Montreuxat the shores of lake Geneve.
There was never a PAUL KRÜGER Street in Switzerland, there was however a KRÜGERSTRASSE.This street however has absolutely nothing to do with Clarens ( Switzerland ) as it was in St.Gallen.The name was recently changed to DÜRRENMATTSTRASSE.
Therefore CLARENS (Switzerland ) is still the "twin town" of CLARENS ( SA ).
I am visiting CLARENS in Switzerland early next month to investigate the possibilityof bringing the 2 Towns together, in some form we are not sure about at this point. I already have established contact with the historian authoritys in CLARENS and they are looking forwards to hear about my ideas.
I hope you will change your blog accordingly.
Kind regards, Rolf Schlub
techno@pixie.co.za 082 4567 046
Found today on Google.....
In an effort to placate whiny anti-racists, officials in the Swiss town of St. Gallen have removed the name of Boer leader Paul Kruger from one of their streets.
Former South African president Kruger led the Boer Resistance against the British during the Second Boer War of 1899 to 1902, and later fled to Clarens, Switzerland as the Brits advanced on Pretoria. The South African gold coin, Krugerrand, was named after him, which evolved into the rand, the current currency of South Africa.
Now, town planners in St. Gallen say times have changed. “In the context of the time, naming a street after Paul Krueger can be understood,” the St. Gallen town council said in a statement, “but today it can no longer be justified.”
Friedrich Duerrenmatt Theo Buff from the town’s planning department told Reuters the name was being changed “because of racist associations”. Buff also admitted the name change was due to pressure from left-wing and anti-racist groups.
In a Sunday ceremony attended by South African diplomats, Kruger Street was officially changed to Duerrenmatt street, after Swiss author and dramatist Friedrich Duerrenmatt.
Durrenmatt who died in 1990, often compared the three Abrahamic religions to Marxism, which he also saw as a religion.
So there we have it..... One up for the whiny anti-racists!
