Ohrigstad (Afrikaans for Ohrig city), formerly Andries Orieg Stad, is a small town to the north of Lydenburg. A fort was established by a group of Voortrekkers under the leadership of Andries Hendrik Potgieter with the help of a Dutch merchant Gregorius Ohrig.
Today, Ohrigstad is mostly a farming community and a diverse range of crops are produced. Their economy thrives on maize, beans, fruit and paprika. The region abounds with plenty of unexplored possibilities and opportunities concerning business, tourism, agriculture and local communities.
Known as the gateway to the Panorama Route, Ohrigstad is close to the natural wonders like: God’s Window, the Blyde River Canyon and Bourke’s Luck Potholes. Visitors to the town can enjoy an abundance of activities such as mountain biking, horse riding, fly-fishing, hiking and game viewing at the nearby Blyde Dam.
At the point where the swift-flowing Blyde River is joined by the Ohrigstad River, engineers built an unobtrusive dam wall in a bottleneck below the confluence to form the Blyde Dam, home to crocodiles and hippos.
- The Echo Caves extend for 40km into the rock, a limestone fairyland. At Ohrigstad Dam Reserve you can fish for yellowtail or carp on tranquil waters surrounded by mountains.
- The Shoe House, 20km north of Ohrigstad
- The Ohrigstad Dam Nature Reserve
- Panorama route
- God's window
The settlers arrived in 1845 and were soon afterwards decimated by malaria and forced to abandon the area. Settlers only returned once the disease was under control. On the 14 May 1873, the area was proclaimed as a public goldfield after the discovery of gold in the Selati River.
