Plaines Wilhems District – Named after the settler Wilhem Leicknig
Plaines Wilhems takes its name from Wilhem Leicknig, a settler of Prussian origin who arrived in 1721 on the island, then known as Isle de France. In the eighteenth century much of the area was still forest, but after the railway was introduced in 1864, the district developed rapidly as people moved up from the coast to the cooler central plateau.
Today it is Mauritius' most populous district, with around 366,000 residents, and mainly urban: it has four towns – Beau-Bassin Rose-Hill, Curepipe, Quatre Bornes and Vacoas-Phoenix – each with its own municipal council, plus the village of Midlands. Do you have stories or photos from Plaines Wilhems? Share them with our community!