    lydenburg is a town in thaba chweu local municipality, mpumalanga, south africa. officially known as mashishing, lydenburg is situated on the sterkspruit/dorps river tributary of the olifants river at the base of the long tom pass. the name is derived from the dutch lijdenburg, or "town of suffering".south africa lydenburg has become the centre of the south african fly-fishing industry and is an agricultural and mining hub. ==history== the earliest known forms of african sculpture in southern africa dating back to ad 400 was found in the area in the late 1950s. lydenburg was founded in 1849 by a group of voortrekkers under the leadership of andries potgieter when they abandoned their previous settlement ohrigstad (to the north) due to a malaria epidemic. the town became the capital of the lydenburg republic ('de republiek lydenburg in zuid afrika') in 1856 and later in 1857 joined the republic of utrecht but in 1860 both these republics joined the zuid afrikaanse republiek (zar). lydenburg became important because it was on the wagon route to the port of delagoa bay (now maputo bay) which was free of british control. in 1871 construction of the road was started by abraham espag under the orders of president thomas franÃ§ois burgers. the first wagons arrived in lydenburg from delagoa bay in 1874. on 6 february 1873 alluvial gold was discovered and within 3 months the lydenburg goldfields was proclaimed. the first boer war broke out between britain and the transvaal republic in 1880. a british garrison under lieutenant walter hillyar colquhoun long (uncle of the 1st viscount long) took control
Boer_Republics Mining_communities_in_South_Africa Populated_places_established_in_1849 Populated_places_founded_by_Afrikaners Populated_places_in_the_Thaba_Chweu_Local_Municipality