Paarl Gimnasium

Paarl (; Afrikaans: [ˈpɑːrl̩]; derived from Parel, meaning "pearl" in Dutch) is a town with 285,574 inhabitants in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is the third-oldest European settlement in the Republic of South Africa (after Cape Town and Stellenbosch) and the largest town in the Cape Winelands. Due to the growth of the Mbekweni township, it is now a de facto urban unit with Wellington. It is situated about 60 kilometres (37 mi) northeast of Cape Town in the Western Cape Province and is known for its scenic environment and viticulture and fruit-growing heritage.Paarl is the seat of the Drakenstein Local Municipality; although not part of the Cape Town metropolitan area, it falls within its economic catchment. Paarl is unusual among South African place-names, in being pronounced differently in English than in Afrikaans; likewise unusual about the town's name is Afrikaners customary attachment to it, saying not in Paarl, but rather in die Paarl, or in die Pêrel (literally, "in the Paarl"). Paarl gained additional international attention when, on 11 February 1990, Nelson Mandela walked, with live international television coverage, out of Victor Verster Correctional Centre (now known as Drakenstein Correctional Centre) in Paarl ending his 27 years of imprisonment, and beginning a course to South Africa's post-apartheid era and, notably, to multi-racial elections. Mandela spent three years in prison here living in a private house within the walls. Today, a bronze statue of Mandela stands outside the prison. Paarl hosted 3 matches from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003. The headquarters of Ceres Fruit Juices is located in the city, although its namesake and source of much of the fruit, Ceres Valley, lies around one hour's drive to the northeast. The district is particularly well known for its Pearl Mountain or "Paarl Rock". This huge granite rock consists of three rounded outcrops. Paarl Rock consists of intrusive igneous rock.

Labori High School is a school in Paarl, Western Cape, South Africa.

La Rochelle Girls' High School, (Afrikaans: Hoër Meisieskool La Rochelle) in Paarl is the oldest girls' school in South Africa (tied with Rhenish Girls' High School in Stellenbosch).

Paarl Boys' High School, known in Afrikaans as Hoër Jongenskool Paarl (also known as Boishaai) is one of the oldest schools in South Africa, built in 1868. The school is situated in Paarl, a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The first headmaster of the school was George Jeffreys. Effective as of 2007, the headmaster of the school is Derek Swart.

Huguenot railway station is the main passenger railway station in the town of Paarl, Western Cape, South Africa. It is served by Metrorail commuter trains on the Northern Line. It is also the second stop out of Cape Town for Shosholoza Meyl inter-city trains originating or terminating there. Although there is a railway station bearing the name of "Paarl", it is located in an industrial area in the southern part of Paarl, and express and inter-city trains do not stop there. Huguenot station has three tracks for passenger trains, accessed by a side platform and an island platform connected by a pedestrian bridge and subway.

Boland Park is a multi-purpose stadium in Paarl, South Africa. It is currently used mostly for cricket matches and hosted three matches during the 2003 Cricket World Cup. Boland cricket team and the Paarl Royals both stage home matches at the ground. The stadium has a capacity of 10,000 people.

The Afrikaans Language Monument (Afrikaans: Afrikaanse Taalmonument) is located on a hill overlooking Paarl, Western Cape Province, South Africa. Officially opened on 10 October 1975, it commemorates the semicentenary of Afrikaans being declared an official language of South Africa separate from Dutch. Also, it was erected on the 100th anniversary of the founding of Genootskap van Regte Afrikaners (the Society of Real Afrikaners) in Paarl, the organisation that helped strengthen Afrikaners' identity and pride in their language. The monument was used as a filming location for the Twelfth series of Doctor Who.

Mbekweni is a township situated between Wellington and Paarl in the Western Cape province of South Africa. As of 2011 it had a population of 30,875 residents in 8,339 households. Paarl, Mbekweni and Wellington form a continuous urban area within the Drakenstein Municipality.

The Spice Route Paarl is a popular tourist destination located in the city of Paarl, South Africa. Make sure to check in with vendors regarding specific operating hours. The farm is open 7 days a week but each vendor adheres to their own operating hours. The name Spice Route dates back to the historical mariners who used to trade Eastern spices to Europe along the "Spice Route" for spice trade in the 15th century. The Estate gives visitors the opportunity to explore local foods, beverages and goods, that are produced in a traditional manner supporting the local community while spreading the taste and spirit of South Africa out to the world. Its cellar production and wine tasting is conducted of red and white wines from the local Malmesbury and Darling wine yards, which received national and international attention.

Fairview Wine and Cheese farm is a South African producer of wines and cheeses based in the Paarl region of the Western Cape province. It is owned and run by Charles Back, who also owns The Goats do Roam Wine Company and The Spice Route Winery.

Val de Vie Estate (Fr Valley of Life) is a secure, luxury, residential and outdoor lifestyle estate occupying 917 hectares (2,270 acres) situated between Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek in the Cape Winelands of South Africa.The estate encompasses various neighbourhoods each with its own characteristics, surrounded by vineyards, polo fields, natural fynbos vegetation, parks, lakes and mountains.The estate is known for its world class polo facilities, Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course, mountain bike trails and L’Huguenot wine cellar.Home to the “Safest House in Africa”, Val de Vie Estate has been named the number one residential estate in South Africa by New World Wealth for 5 consecutive years from 2015 to 2019.Val de Vie Estate has also received awards for the Best Individual Residence in South Africa (2019), best Multigenerational Resort in the World (2018), Best Residential Development in South Africa (2020), as well as both Best Leisure Development in the World and Best Residential Development in South Africa, at the 2021 International Property Awards, and was placed in the top 10 lifestyle estates in the world for 2021 by New World Wealth.

Drakenstein Lion Park is a zoological park in Drakenstein, Western Cape, South Africa. It was established in 1998 to keep lions which could not be rehabilitated into the wilderness, and was meant to replace the now-defunct Tygerberg Zoo, which housed possible descendants of the Cape lion, amongst other animals. Other animals included chimpanzees and tigers, including from Novosibirsk Zoo, from where Tygerberg's director John Spence managed to obtain his lions.