The scenic town of Burgersdorp, which lies nestled in the foothills of the Stormberg Mountains, is the oldest town in the North Eastern Cape, and was founded in 1846. The town was established on the farm Klipfointein as a mission for the Dutch Reformed Church of Graaff-Reinet. A few months later in January of 1847, 75 plots were sold at a public auction and construction of the town began. Many of Burgersdorp's streets, the two town squares and the area for the church were laid out with the assistance of plough and oxen. The first municipality was established in 1891, and the commonage was eventually bought by the Municipality in 1912.

The small town, which is now well known for the farming of merino sheep and cattle, has played an interesting part in the history and cultural and religious development of the region with the Reformed Theological Seminary being established in Burgersdorp in the 1860's. The seminary later moved, and formed Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education (today called North-West University). As a result of the church's ongoing involvement, the town is home to a number of churches which include Dutch Reformed, Reformed, A.G.S., the A.P.K, Anglican, Roman Catholic and the Methodist.

During the Anglo-Boer War, the Battle of Stormberg was fought in this area, with a force of 400 Boer commandos against a much larger British force. The British suffered heavy losses after their defeat by the Boers, however they returned four months later and recaptured the town. Today Burgersdorp is home to a number of historical monuments which include the Sentinel, which is a blockhouse or look-out point built by the British during the war. Other sites of interest in Burgersdorp include the Afrikaans language monument which was stolen by the British and then later replaced with a replica which now stands in the library.

Sport and recreation in Burgersdorp features a number of excellent facilities for fishing, water sport, camping and caravan, golf, rugby, soccer, bowls, squash, netball, tennis and cycling. Athletics meetings are regularly held in Burgersdorp, and other notable annual events in the town include the Partridge Hunt and the Pointer Dog Competition.