President Paul Kruger
Kruger National Park's Namesake
Kruger National Park owes its name to President Kruger. Paul Kruger was the president of the Transvaal Republic from 1880 to 1900 when he fled to Holland in exile in the midst of the Boer War. The Transvaal Republic was officially called the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek in Dutch, meaning the South African Republic - not to be confused with the present day Republic of South Africa! The Transvaal Republic was an independent Boer country from 1857-1902. It is now part of present day South Africa.During his presidency, Kruger was concerned about the rate at which wildlife was hunted. He proposed the need to protect it in 1884, although it took until 1898 to open the first protected game reserve. This park was called the Sabie Game Reserve and was used for restricted hunting. It covered the area between Sabie and Crocodile Rivers in what is now the southern region of Kruger National Park.  President Kruger was affectionately known as Oom Paul, meaning Uncle Paul in Dutch and Afrikaans. He was born Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger on 10 October 1825 in what is now the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.
He married Maria du Plessis in 1842, but Maria and their son died from fever. He then married Gezina du Plessis in 1847. The Kruger family grew large with 7 daughters and 9 sons, although some died as babies. Kruger died on 14 July 1904 in Clarens, Switzerland, aged 78. More than 20 years after his death in 1926, Sabie Game Reserve, Shingwedzi Game Reserve plus some local farms were combined and renamed Kruger National Park. Kruger Gate is one of the entrance points into Kruger National Park. There's a statue of Kruger at the gate depicting him in his traditional image of full beard. The Kruger Rand, a gold coin issued in South Africa, is also named after him and depicts his face on one side.
Return from Paul Kruger to Kruger Park History
Return from Paul Kruger to Kruger National Park
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