Surrounded by mountains and vineyards, Paarl is a commercial centre on the banks of the Berg River. There are actually vineyards and wineries within the sprawling town limits, including the huge 'Kooperatieve Wijnbouwers Vereniging', a co-operative that both regulates and dominates the South African wine industry. There is some excellent Cape Dutch architecture in the area, and some significant monuments to the Afrikaner culture. Europeans settled in the surrounding valley in the 1680s and Paarl was established in 1720. It became a centre for wagon building, but it is most famous for its important role in the development and recognition of Afrikaans as a separate language.