Parys & Vredefort Dome

Parys is a small town situated on the banks of the Vaal River in the Free state provicde of South Africa. The name of the town is the Afrikaans translation of Paris. The name was given by a German surveyor named Schilbach who had participated in the Siege of Paris during the Franco-Prussian War and the location next to the Vaal reminded him of Paris on the River Seine. This town attracts hundreds of visitors over weekends and have a large variety of antique shops and restaurants.

The Vredefort Dome is the largest and oldest known meteor impact sites in the world. This impact structure bears witness to the greatest known single energy release event on earth and was listed a world heritage site in 2005.