Bloemfontein ( ; ), also known as Bloem, is the capital and the largest city of the Free State province in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. It is often, and has been traditionally, referred to as the country's "judicial capital", alongside the

legislative A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers ...

capital

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

and administrative capital

Pretoria Pretoria ( ; ) is the Capital of South Africa, administrative capital of South Africa, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to the country. Pretoria strad ...

, although the highest court in South Africa, the

Constitutional Court A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ru ...

, has been in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

since 1994. Situated at an elevation of above sea level, the city is home to 256,185 (as of 2011) residents and forms part of the

Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality The Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality (; ; ; ; ) is a metropolitan municipality which governs Bloemfontein and surrounding towns in the Free State province of South Africa. ''Mangaung'' is a Sesotho word meaning "place of cheetahs", as it was no ...

which has a population of 747,431. It was one of the host cities for the

2010 FIFA World Cup The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010. ...

. The city of Bloemfontein hosts the Supreme Court of Appeal, the Franklin Game Reserve, Naval Hill, the Maselspoort Resort and the

Sand du Plessis Theatre The Sand du Plessis Theatre () is located on Markgraaff Street, Bloemfontein, South Africa. It is a large, multipurpose theater center opened on August 1, 1985 as the home of the Regional Council of Sukovs (Orange Free State Performing Arts Societ ...

. The city hosts numerous museums, including the

National Women's Monument The National Women's Monument () in Bloemfontein, South Africa, is a monument commemorating the roughly 27,000 Boer women and children who died in British concentration camps during the Second Boer War. The Monument is a Provincial Heritage Site ...

, the Anglo-Boer War Museum, the

National Museum A national museum can be a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In the United States, most nati ...

, and the Oliewenhuis Art Museum. Bloemfontein also hosts the first digital planetarium in the southern hemisphere, the Naval Hill Planetarium, and

Boyden Observatory Boyden Observatory is an astronomical research observatory and science education centre located in Maselspoort, north-east of the city of Bloemfontein in Free State, South Africa. The observatory is managed by the Physics Department of the U ...

, an astronomical research observatory. Bloemfontein is popularly and poetically known as "the city of roses" for its abundance of these flowers and the annual rose festival held there. The city is situated in the middle of the country; hence it is referred to as "Central South Africa". The city's

Sesotho Sotho (), also known as ''Sesotho'' (), Southern Sotho, or ''Sesotho sa Borwa'' is a Southern Bantu languages, Southern Bantu language spoken in Lesotho as its national language and South Africa where it is an official language. Like all Ba ...

name is ''Mangaung'', meaning "place of

cheetah The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large Felidae, cat and the Fastest animals, fastest land animal. It has a tawny to creamy white or pale buff fur that is marked with evenly spaced, solid black spots. The head is small and rounded, wit ...

s".

History

Early history

Though historically a !Orana and

Barolong The Rolong (pronounced ) are a Tswana ethnic group native to Botswana and South Africa. Etymology The Rolong people's name originated from the clan's first ''kgosi'' (king, chief) Morolong, who lived around 1270–1280. The ancient word '' ...

settlement, and then a

Boer Boers ( ; ; ) are the descendants of the proto Afrikaans-speaking Free Burghers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. From 1652 to 1795, the Dutch East India Company controlled the Dutch ...

settlement, Bloemfontein was officially founded in 1846 as a fort by

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

major Henry Douglas Warden as a British outpost in the Transoranje region, at that stage occupied by various groups of peoples including !Orana (so-called "Korana" of the ǀHõaǁʼaes, ǀHũdiǁʼaes, Einiǁʼaes, and others),

Cape Colony The Cape Colony (), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British Empire, British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope. It existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when it united with three ...

Trekboers The Trekboers ( ) were nomadic pastoralists descended from mostly Dutch colonists on the frontiers of the Dutch Cape Colony in Southern Africa. The Trekboers began migrating into the interior from the areas surrounding what is now Cape Town, ...

Griqua Griqua may refer to: * Griqua people, of South Africa * Griqua language or Xiri language, their endangered Khoi language * Griquas (rugby) Griquas (), known as the Suzuki Griquas for sponsorship reasons, are a South African professional rugby ...

(at that time known as "Baasters") and

. Warden initially chose the site primarily because of its proximity to the main route to

Winburg Winburg is a small mixed farming town in the Free State province of South Africa. It is the oldest proclaimed town (1837) in the Orange Free State, South Africa and along with Griekwastad, is one of the oldest settlements in South Africa loc ...

, the spacious open country, and the absence of horse sickness. Bloemfontein was the original farm of Johannes Nicolaas Brits, born on 21 February 1790, owner and first inhabitant of Bloemfontein. Johann – as he was known – sold the farm to Major Warden. With colonial policy shifts, the region changed into the

Orange River Sovereignty The Orange River Sovereignty (1848–1854; ) was a short-lived political entity between the Orange River, Orange and Vaal rivers in Southern Africa, a region known informally as Transorangia. In 1854, it became the Orange Free State, and is now ...

(1848–1854) and eventually the

Orange Free State The Orange Free State ( ; ) was an independent Boer-ruled sovereign republic under British suzerainty in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, which ceased to exist after it was defeated and surrendered to the British Em ...

Republic (1854–1902). From 1902 to 1910, it served as the capital of the

Orange River Colony The Orange River Colony was the British colony created after Britain first occupied (1900) and then annexed (1902) the independent Orange Free State in the Second Boer War. The colony ceased to exist in 1910, when it was absorbed into the Unio ...

and since that time as the provincial capital of the Free State. In 1910, it became the Judicial capital of the

Union of South Africa The Union of South Africa (; , ) was the historical predecessor to the present-day South Africa, Republic of South Africa. It came into existence on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the British Cape Colony, Cape, Colony of Natal, Natal, Tra ...

. A possible etymology for the city's name is that it is called Bloemfontein "Bloem's fountain", after Jan Bloem II, a Griqua leader.

Orange Free State (1854–1902)

The

was an independent Boer Republic in

southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost region of Africa. No definition is agreed upon, but some groupings include the United Nations geoscheme for Africa, United Nations geoscheme, the intergovernmental Southern African Development Community, and ...

during the second half of the 19th century. Extending between the

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...

and

Vaal The Vaal River ( ; Khoemana: ) is the largest tributary of the Orange River in South Africa. The river has its source near Breyten in Mpumalanga province, east of Johannesburg and about north of Ermelo and only about from the Indian Oce ...

rivers, its borders were determined by the

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the union of the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland into one sovereign state, established by the Acts of Union 1800, Acts of Union in 1801. It continued in this form until ...

in 1848 when the region was proclaimed as the

, with a seat of a

British Resident A resident minister, or resident for short, is a government official required to take up permanent residence in another country. A representative of his government, he officially has diplomatic functions which are often seen as a form of in ...

in Bloemfontein. As the capital of the Orange Free State Republic, the growth and maturing of the republic resulted in the development of Bloemfontein. The city constructed numerous public buildings that remain in use today, facilitated by the republic's governance and compensation from the British for the loss of the diamond-rich Griqua Land area. The old Orange Free State's presidential residence, the Old Presidency, is currently a museum and cultural space in the city. A railway line was built in 1890 connecting Bloemfontein to

. The railway line provided a centrally located

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

and proved critical to the British in occupying the city later. The writer

J. R. R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlinson ...

was born in the city on 3 January 1892. However, his family left

(now

Free State province The Free State ( ; ; ; ; ), formerly known as the Orange Free State, is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bloemfontein, which is also South Africa's judicial capital. Its historical origins lie in the Boer republic called the Orang ...

, South Africa) following the death of his father,

Arthur Tolkien The Tolkien family is an English family of German descent whose best-known member is J. R. R. Tolkien, Oxford academic and author of the fantasy books ''The Hobbit'', ''The Lord of the Rings'' and ''The Silmarillion''. Etymology According to ...

, when Tolkien was three (1895). He recorded that his earliest memories were of "a hot country". In 1899, the city was the site of the

Bloemfontein Conference The Bloemfontein Conference was a meeting that took place at the railway station of Bloemfontein, capital of the Orange Free State from 31 May until 5 June 1899. The main issue dealt with the status of British migrant workers called " Uitlander ...

, which failed to prevent the outbreak of the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

. The conference was a final attempt to avert a war between Britain and the

South African Republic The South African Republic (, abbreviated ZAR; ), also known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer republics, Boer republic in Southern Africa which existed from 1852 to 1902, when it was annexed into the British Empire as a result ...

, and its failure set the stage for war, which broke out on 11 October 1899. On 13 March 1900, following the

Battle of Paardeberg The Battle of Paardeberg or Perdeberg ("Horse Mountain", 18–27 February 1900) was a major battle during the Second Anglo-Boer War. It was fought near ''Paardeberg Ford (crossing), Drift'' on the banks of the Modder River in the Orange Free St ...

, the British captured the city and built a

concentration camp A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploitati ...

nearby to house

women and children. In 1913, the

was constructed on the outskirts of the city to commemorate all Boer civilians who died in concentration camps during the war. The hill in town was named Naval Hill after the

naval guns Naval artillery is artillery mounted on a warship, originally used only for naval warfare and then subsequently used for more specialized roles in surface warfare such as naval gunfire support (NGFS) and anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) engagements. T ...

brought in by the British to fortify the position against attack.

Unionisation of South Africa (1910s)

On 31 May 1910, exactly eight years after the Boers signed the Peace Treaty of Vereeniging that ended the Anglo-Boer War between the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

and two

states State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

, the

(Republic of Transvaal) and the

, South Africa became a Union. Due to disagreements over where the Union's capital should be, a compromise was reached that allowed Bloemfontein to host Appellate Division and become the Union's judicial capital. Bloemfontein was also given financial compensation. On 8 January 1912, the South African Native National Congress (SANNC) was founded in Bloemfontein. The Union of South Africa had not granted rights to black South Africans, causing the organisation's creation. Its primary aim was to fight for the rights of black South Africans. During the implementation of

pass laws In South Africa under apartheid, and South West Africa (now Namibia), pass laws served as an internal passport system designed to racially segregate the population, restrict movement of individuals, and allocate low-wage migrant labor. Also ...

, the city saw major demonstrations that forced South African authorities to exempt women from them for nearly four decades. From 1 to 9 January 1914,

James Barry Munnik Hertzog General James Barry Munnik Hertzog (3 April 1866 – 21 November 1942), better known as Barry Hertzog or J. B. M. Hertzog, was a South African politician and soldier. He was a Boer general during the Second Boer War who served a ...

and his supporters met in Bloemfontein to form the National Party of the Orange Free State, and to lay down its principles, following Hertzog's exit from the

South African Party The South African Party (, ) was a political party that existed in the Union of South Africa from 1911 to 1934. History The outline and foundation for the party was realized after the election of a 'South African party' in the 1910 South Af ...

in 1913. The National Party grew to govern South Africa in 1948 and implement the policy of

racial segregation Racial segregation is the separation of people into race (human classification), racial or other Ethnicity, ethnic groups in daily life. Segregation can involve the spatial separation of the races, and mandatory use of different institutions, ...

known as

apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

Apartheid era (1948–1994)

When the National Party won the 1948 South African national government elections, they began implementing the policy known as

. The policy was built on separate development of ethnic groups, and racial segregation was enforced. In Bloemfontein, residential segregation had begun in the 19th century with the passing of Ordinance 1 of 1860, which determined that no non-white, without written permission from the landlord (British government), had the right to occupy urban land in towns where local municipalities did not yet exist. On 3 June 1861, the council demarcated three locations in the following areas; the black population was to move to the area that lay to the right of a neighbourhood that was known as Kaffirfontein, Coloureds were to move to the Waaihoek Black residential area on the eastern outskirts of the town. The inhabitants of these settlements had to pay the so-called hut tax and grazing rights tax. This laid the foundation for the implementation of residential urban segregation as envisaged by the architects of apartheid. When the

government passed the

Group Areas Act Group Areas Act was the title of three acts of the Parliament of South Africa enacted under the apartheid government of South Africa. The acts assigned racial groups to different residential and business sections in urban areas in a syste ...

of 1950, the Bloemfontein municipality put into effect changes in the racial set-up of the city. The municipality demolished the Cape Stands residential area, which was occupied by the city's coloured population, and moved the residents to Heidedal. However, due to Coloureds living in such proximity to black people, intermarriages across racial lines occurred, resulting in a partially mixed population in Heidedal and

Mangaung Bloemfontein ( ; ), also known as Bloem, is the capital and the largest city of the Free State province in South Africa. It is often, and has been traditionally, referred to as the country's "judicial capital", alongside the legislative cap ...

. In 1952, the Bloemfontein municipality began building new residential areas for the city's black population. New residential areas to separate ethnic groups such as

Sotho Sotho may refer to: *Sotho people (or ''Basotho''), an African ethnic group principally resident in South Africa, Lesotho and southern Botswana *Sotho language (''Sesotho'' or ''Southern Sotho''), a Bantu language spoken in southern Africa, an offi ...

Xhosa Xhosa may refer to: * Xhosa people, a nation, and ethnic group, who live in south-central and southeasterly region of South Africa * Xhosa language, one of the 11 official languages of South Africa, principally spoken by the Xhosa people See als ...

and

Tswana Tswana may refer to: * Tswana people, the Bantu languages, Bantu speaking people in Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and other Southern Africa regions * Tswana language, the language spoken by the (Ba)Tswana people * Tswanaland, ...

were formed. The residential areas were jointly known as Mangaung. Phahameng, a

township, was the first formal housing projects to be approved by the municipality in 1956. Physical buffers such as the railway line and roads were put into place to separate black ethnic groups, the white and coloured population. Eleven thousand housing structures, of which approximately 6,000 were government-built rental accommodations, were erected in Mangaung between 1952 and 1968. In 1968, Mangaung faced severe housing shortages when as many as 3,000 to 6,000 housing units were needed. To counter this problem, a 55 km eastward expansion called

Botshabelo Botshabelo, meaning "a place of refuge", is a large Township (South Africa), township set up in 1979. It is located east of Bloemfontein in the present-day Free State (South African province), Free State province of South Africa. Botshabelo is no ...

was added in 1979. The Bloemfontein municipality channelled off all black urbanisation to

Thaba 'Nchu Thaba 'Nchu, also known as Blesberg (''bald mountain'' in Afrikaans), is a town in Free State, South Africa, 63 km east of Bloemfontein and 17 km east of Botshabelo. The population is largely made up of Tswana and Sotho people. The tow ...

and Botshabelo, which were developed as a source of cheap labour for the city of Bloemfontein. A subsidised bus service was established, and Botshabelo was declared a decentralisation point, meaning it was designated to become an industrial development point to reduce the distance between the place of employment and the place of residence. In 1988, approximately 14,500 people were commuting daily between

and Bloemfontein. This meant that 55% of Botshabelo's workforce was employed outside the city. In 1994, after the disestablishment of the apartheid government, Bloemfontein, Botshabelo, and Thaba Nchu became part of

Motheo District Municipality Motheo (''Sesotho'', meaning "foundation" or "cornerstone") was, until the municipal elections of 18 May 2011, a district of the Free State province of South Africa. At the time of the 2011 elections it was disestablished as a consequence of Man ...

. The

was disestablished on 18 May 2011, and Mangaung was upgraded to become an autonomous metropolitan municipality with Bloemfontein as the main seat.

Since 1994

Until 1994, the city was South Africa's sole judicial capital. It remains the seat for the Supreme Court of Appeal (formerly the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court). The city is also an administrative centre with many private hospitals and educational institutions.

Government

Free State Provincial Government building Bloemfontein forms part of the

, which was upgraded from a Local Municipality in 2011. The Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality elects a municipal council for five-year periods through a mixed-member proportional representation (MMP) system in which wards elect individual councillors alongside those named from party lists. Voters get two votes: one for a representative to become a ward councillor and the other for a political party. The latter vote distributes seats in the municipal council amongst parties, while the former distributes seats through the individual representatives.

Geography and climate

Bloemfontein is located in central South Africa on the southern edge of the

Highveld The Highveld (Afrikaans: ''Hoëveld,'' , ) is the portion of the South African inland plateau which has an altitude above roughly , but below , thus excluding the Lesotho mountain regions to the south-east of the Highveld. It is home to some of t ...

at an elevation of , bordering on the semi-arid region of the

Karoo The Karoo ( ; from the Afrikaans borrowing of the South Khoekhoe Khoemana (also known as !Orakobab or Korana) word is a semidesert natural region of South Africa. No exact definition of what constitutes the Karoo is available, so its extent is ...

. The area is generally flat with occasional hills ("koppies" in

Afrikaans Afrikaans is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language spoken in South Africa, Namibia and to a lesser extent Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and also Argentina where there is a group in Sarmiento, Chubut, Sarmiento that speaks the Pat ...

), and the general vegetation is

grassland. Bloemfontein experiences a

cold semi-arid climate Cold is the presence of low temperature, especially in the atmosphere. In common usage, cold is often a subjective perception. A lower bound to temperature is absolute zero, defined as 0.00K on the Kelvin scale, an absolute thermodynamic ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

BSk), with hot summer days and cool, dry winters with frosty nights. Rainfall usually arrives in the summer months, often in the form of dramatic but short-lived afternoon/evening thunderstorms that serve as a temporary relief from the heat. The city tends to be dry and dusty in winter with freezing nights and mostly mild, sunny days. Frost is very common but snow is rare. Snowfall was reported in August 2006 with snowfalls occurring again at the airport on 26 July 2007. As recently as August 2020 and July 2021 very light snow fell across the city with heavier snowfall on 4 June 2024. In addition, the city's highland elevation allows for exceptional temperature diurnal of about 15–20°C (27–36°F)

Suburbs

Bloemfontein suburbs include Heidedal to the east and southeast, Bain's Vlei, Woodland Hills Wildlife Estate, Brandwag, Ehrlich Park,

Fauna Fauna (: faunae or faunas) is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding terms for plants and fungi are ''flora'' and '' funga'', respectively. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively ...

Fichardt Park Fichardt Park is a suburb of the city of Bloemfontein in South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are ...

Fleurdal Fleurdal is a suburb of the city of Bloemfontein in South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bound ...

, Gardenia Park, Generaal De Wet, Hospitaalpark, Kiepersol, Lourier Park, Park West, Pellissier, Uitsig,

Universitas ''Universitas'' is a Latin word meaning "the whole, total, the universe, the world", or in Roman law a society or corporation; the latter sense is where the word university is derived from. Universitas may also refer to: * Universitas 21, an in ...

Westdene Westdene is an area of the city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex. It is a northern suburb of the city, west of Patcham, the A23 road, A23 (London Road) and the Brighton Main Line, London to Brighton railway line, north of Withdean and northe ...

, Wilgehof and

Willows Willows, also called sallows and osiers, of the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 350 species (plus numerous hybrids) of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions. Most species are known ...

to the south of the city. In the centre is

Bloemfontein Central Bloemfontein CBD is the main Business District of the city of Bloemfontein in South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa ...

. To the west of Bloemfontein, you will find Langenhoven Park. To the north you will find

Arboretum An arboretum (: arboreta) is a botanical collection composed exclusively of trees and shrubs of a variety of species. Originally mostly created as a section in a larger garden or park for specimens of mostly non-local species, many modern arbor ...

, Baysvalley,

Bayswater Bayswater is an area in the City of Westminster in West London. It is a built-up district with a population density of 17,500 per square kilometre, and is located between Kensington Gardens to the south, Paddington to the north-east, and ...

Dan Pienaar Major General Daniel Hermanus Pienaar (27 August 1893 – 19 December 1942) was a South African World War II military commander. Early life and career He was born in Ladybrand, Orange Free State and in his youth grew up in Natal. His family ...

, Helicon Heights, Heuwelsig, Hillsboro, Hillside, Hilton, Naval Hill, Navalsig, Noordhoek, Pentagon Park, Panorama Park, and Waverley. To the northeast, you will find Roodewal and Vallombrosa. The predominantly black suburbs are Rocklands, Phahameng, Phelindaba, Bloemanda, Bochabela, JB Mafora, and the most historic Batho, where the Maphikela House (where the African National Congress started) is situated.

Sports

Stadium

The

Free State Stadium The Free State Stadium (), currently known as the Toyota Stadium for sponsorship reasons and formerly known as Vodacom Park, is a stadium in Bloemfontein in the Free State of South Africa, used mainly for rugby union and also sometimes for ass ...

and the surrounding

sports complex A sports complex is a group of sports facilities. For example, there are track and field stadiums, football stadiums, baseball stadiums, swimming pools, Olympic Parks, and indoor arenas. Asia * Azadi Sport Complex * Cebu City Sports Com ...

are the primary sports venues in the city and province. The venue was the hosting stadium of the

South Africa matches played in Bloemfontein. There are several other

sports venue A sports venue is a building, structure, or place in which a sporting competition is held. A stadium (plural: stadiums or stadia) or arena is a place or venue for sports or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely ...

s in the city, however, including facilities belonging to the university, schools and sports clubs. Other stadiums in the city are

Mangaung Oval Mangaung Oval is a cricket oval in Bloemfontein, South Africa, mostly used for cricket matches. Previous names for the ground include Springbok Park, Chevrolet Park, Goodyear Park, and OUTsurance Oval. It is the home of the Knights cricket tea ...

, Dr. Petrus Molemela Stadium and Clive Solomons Stadium.

Soccer

Bloemfontein was joint home (together with nearby

) to

South African Premiership The South African Premiership, also known as the Betway Premiership for sponsorship reasons, and commonly referred to as the PSL after its governing body, is a professional soccer league in South Africa and the highest level of the South Afr ...

team

Bloemfontein Celtic Bloemfontein Celtic Football Club (simply known as Celtic) is a South African soccer club based in Bloemfontein. Bloemfontein Celtic had a large fan base in the Free State and competed in the Premiership before selling their status to Royal ...

before the team sold their franchise in 2021. Some of the matches of the

were played at the Free State Stadium, including the historic 4–1 defeat of England by Germany in the

round of 16 A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, w ...

Rugby

Bloemfontein's

is home to two

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

teams; the

Cheetahs The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large cat and the fastest land animal. It has a tawny to creamy white or pale buff fur that is marked with evenly spaced, solid black spots. The head is small and rounded, with a short snout and blac ...

, who as of 2023 compete as in invited side in the

EPCR Challenge Cup The EPCR Challenge Cup is an annual rugby union competition organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the second-tier competition for clubs based in European leagues behind the European Rugby Champions Cup. From its inception i ...

, and the

Free State Cheetahs The Free State Cheetahs (), formerly known as Orange Free State (), currently named the Toyota Free State Cheetahs due to sponsorship reasons, are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. They are ...

who play in the domestic

Currie Cup The Currie Cup () is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces. Although it is the premier domestic competition, four South African franc ...

. The Free State Cheetahs won the Currie Cup in 2005 against the

Blue Bulls The Blue Bulls (), known for sponsorship reasons as the Vodacom Blue Bulls, is a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament and the United Rugby Championship. They are governed by their second team t ...

; they drew the final with the Blue Bulls in 2006 and retained the Currie Cup title in 2007 by beating the

Golden Lions The Golden Lions (), currently known as the Fidelity ADT Golden Lions for sponsorship reasons, are a South African professional rugby union team based in Johannesburg who compete in the annual Currie Cup. The team is governed by the Golden ...

, resulting in the Cheetahs remaining Currie Cup champions until 2008 when the failed to make the final for the first time since 2004. 2009 saw the Cheetahs return to the Currie Cup final, but they could not beat the Blue Bulls at

Loftus Versfeld Loftus Versfeld Stadium is a Rugby union, rugby stadium situated in the suburb of Arcadia, Pretoria, Arcadia, city of Pretoria in the Gauteng province of South Africa, owned by the Blue Bulls Rugby Union. The stadium can accommodate 51,762 spe ...

. In 2016, the Cheetahs won the Currie Cup after a perfect season, beating the Blue Bulls in Bloemfontein.

Cricket

The Knights cricket team representing the Free State and Northern Cape in various series is located at

, part of the Free State Stadium complex. Bloemfontein features as a regular venue for touring international and local cricket teams.

Soaring

The town has one of the most active

soaring Soaring may refer to: * Gliding, in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes * Lift (soaring), a meteorological phenomenon used as an energy source by some aircraft and birds * ''Soaring'' (magazine), a magazine produced ...

communities in South Africa and the world, using the New Tempe Airport, north of Bloemfontein.

Motor sports

Bloemfontein has a

motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...

track (tempe) run by the Bloemfontein Off Road Club, as well as a

go-kart A go-kart, also written as go-cart (often referred to as simply a kart), is a type of small sports car, close wheeled car, open-wheel car or quadracycle. Go-karts come in all shapes and forms, from non-motorised models to high-performanc ...

circuit (M&F Raceway), which was closed down in early 2015.

Shooting sports

Bloemfontein has a comprehensive shooting centre south of the city, offering most forms of shooting, including various clay target, pistol, and rifle disciplines. Bloemfontein's shooting sports community has produced many provincial and national representatives.

Metallic Silhouette Shooting

Bloemfontein's Metallic Silhouette Shooting Range is one of the top

metallic silhouette Metallic silhouette shooting is a group of target shooting disciplines that involves shooting at steel targets representing game animals at varying distances, seeking to knock the metal target over. Metallic silhouette is shot with large bore rif ...

shooting range A shooting range, firing range, gun range or shooting ground is a specialized facility, venue, or field designed specifically for firearm usage qualifications, training, practice, or competitions. Some shooting ranges are operated by milita ...

s in the world. Three IMSSU international championships have been held here : BMSSK Range 2010

* 2004 6th IMSSU World Championships * 2006 7th IMSSU World Championships *2016 12th IMSSU World Championships

Rock climbing

Bloemfontein has two rock climbing clubs with a wall and boulder cave.

Rose Festival

Every year Bloemfontein, the 'City of Roses', celebrates the 'Bloemfontein Rose Festival', also known as the 'Mangaung Rose Festival', in October—the cool month in which roses in the Free State bloom best. The majority of the events happen at the Loch Logan Waterfront in Bloemfontein. The festival attracts rose enthusiasts from all over South Africa and the world to participate in and experience this grand showcase of roses and other local events and attractions. The festival has made Bloemfontein a popular tourist destination with thousands of people attending the festival annually.

History of the Rose Festival

The first rose festival occurred in 1976, when council members decided that hosting such a festival was appropriate, given the area's name. In 1976, the events spanned over a few days and included activities related to roses in the

Sanlam Sanlam Limited is a South African financial services group headquartered in Bellville, Western Cape, South Africa. Sanlam is one of the largest insurance companies in Africa. It is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, the Namibian Stock ...

Plaza. Since then, the rose festival has expanded and grown to meet the needs and interests of the public.

Activities

Horticulturalists Horticulture (from ) is the art and science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. Horticulture is commonly associated with the more professional and technical aspects of plant cultivation on a smaller and mo ...

are invited to participate in competitions to design and improve unkempt gardens around the city. Festival activities occur in private gardens all over Bloemfontein as city residents open their gardens to the general public.

Loch Logan Waterfront

Most festival activities occur at the Loch Logan Waterfront, the largest shopping centre in central South Africa. It spans about 80 000 m² of space and is the hub of shopping, entertainment, sport, and culture in Bloemfontein. The waterfront displays flowers created by local nurseries as well as the official municipal display created by the parks department, which the Mangaung Municipality organises. The Free State Rose Society's champion Rose Cut Competition, with approximately 700 entrants every year, is also hosted at the Waterfront, along with the Miss Volksblad Rosebud competition for girls aged 3–4 years old, organised in conjunction with the

Volksblad The ''Volksblad'' (English: People's Journal) was an Afrikaans-language daily newspaper published in Bloemfontein, South Africa, and distributed in the Free State and Northern Cape provinces, where it was the largest Afrikaans daily. It was Sou ...

daily newspaper.

Rose Morning High Tea

The Rose Morning High Tea usually occurs at the Urth Garden Centre, where tea and treats are served. The Urth Garden Centre is a retail and wholesale nursery that is located on Kenneth Kaunda Road in Bloemfontein. The crowning of the King and Mangaung in the year of nomination.

Mangaung Rose Classic Cycle Tour

The Mangaung Rose Classic Cycle Tour is a road race that takes place during the festival every year. The event is organised by AfriCycle Tours, and the dates are announced annually. The race starts at the Urth, and the race distances include 22 km, 56 km, and 106 km.

Let's Green Bloem Expo

This expo forms part of the Mangaung/Bloemfontein Rose Festival and gives 'green' and organic local businesses an opportunity to promote their businesses. This includes showcasing different products and services that support a green environment, such as solar power, grey water systems, vegetable tunnels, JoJo tank systems, etc.

Education

Bloemfontein houses many institutions of learning, from pre-schools to universities and colleges. Classes are taught in different languages from school to school, with some even teaching all their classes in two languages. The languages are predominantly

, English, and

Primary education

* St. Andrew's Primary School * Grey College Primary School * Jim Fouché Primary School

Secondary education

* St. Andrew's School * Grey College *

Eunice High School Eunice High School is a Public school (government funded), public high school located in Eunice, Louisiana, Eunice, in the far western end of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is operated by the St. La ...

* Bloemfontein High School * Hoërskool Fichardtpark * Hoërskool Jim Fouché * Hoërskool Sand du Plessis * St. Michael's School * Hoërskool Sentraal

Tertiary education

Public tertiary institutions

University of the Free State The University of the Free State (; Sotho language, Sesotho: ''Yunivesithi ya Freistata'') is a multi-campus public university in Bloemfontein, the capital of the Free State (province), Free State and the judicial capital of South Africa. It wa ...

Central University of Technology The Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT) is a public technology university with campuses in Bloemfontein and Welkom, Free State (province), Free State province, South Africa. It was established in 1981 as "Technikon Free State." ...

*Motheo TVET college There is a Further Education and Training College called Motheo FET College, which comprises three main campuses (Thaba N'chu, Hillside View, and Bloemfontein) and satellite campuses in Zastron, Philippolis, and Botshabelo.Motheo TVET College

Museums

Bloemfontein is home to a number of museums. * Anglo-Boer War Museum *

National Afrikaans Literary Museum and Research Centre The National Afrikaans Literary Museum and Research Centre (, NALN) is a central archive for material and information on the history, development, and scope of literature, music, and drama in the Afrikaans language. The NALN was founded in 1973 by ...

* Oliewenhuis Art Museum. * South African Armour Museum. * Sesotho Literature Museum.

Economy

The private sector mainly drives Bloemfontein's economy. Bloemfontein's share of National GDP, employment, and population is the lowest among the benchmark group of South African and Southern African cities, falling just below the city of

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha ( , ), formerly named Port Elizabeth, and colloquially referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipal ...

. The city's share of the National GDP is 1.73%, with a share of national employment at 1.86% and a share of the national population at 1.67%. Bloemfontein's GDP growth, at 0.57% in 2015, stood in the lower half of the benchmark group of cities. Like other major cities in South Africa, Bloemfontein's GDP growth has slowly decreased in recent years.

Major companies

The city is home to two of South Africa's top construction and infrastructure companies. Raubex Group Ltd, established in 1974 and listed on the

JSE Limited JSE Limited (previously the JSE Securities Exchange and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange) is the largest stock exchange in Africa. It is located in Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa, after it moved from downtown Johannesburg in 2000. In 2003 ...

since March 2007 and Ruwacon (Pty Ltd), established in 1999. Other major companies included the retail department store, Kloppers, established in 1967 and EconoFoods (Pty Ltd) established in 1996.

Hospitals and clinics

Entertainment

Queen of Roses also happens during this event. The competition recognizes citizens of the City of Bloemfontein for contributions that go beyond their regular duties to enrich the Mangaung Metro. Nominees need to be citizens.

Media

* Dumelang Media

Newspapers

* '' Dumelang News - The People's Paper'' * '' Free State Times'' * ''

'' * '' Ons Stad'' Closed down * '' Bloemnuus'' * '' The Weekly'' * '' Courant''

Radio

* OFM * Kovsie FM *

Lesedi FM Lesedi FM is a South African PBS radio network owned the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). Coverage areas and frequencies The station was launched in 1960 and is currently available in seven provinces with a spill-over to the o ...

* Motheo FM * Radio Rosestad 100.6 FM * Motsweding FM *

CUT FM Cut or CUT may refer to: Common uses * The act of cutting, the separation of an object into two through acutely directed force ** A type of wound ** Cut (archaeology), a hole dug in the past ** Cut (clothing), the style or shape of a garment ** ...

* Med FM

Transport

Road

Bloemfontein's national and regional roads are as follows: The N1, a major highway running roughly SW to NE from

and

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

largely bypasses this city to the west. The N8 runs east/west connecting Bloemfontein to

Kimberley Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to: Places and historical events Australia Queensland * Kimberley, Queensland, a coastal locality in the Shire of Douglas South Australia * County of Kimberley, a cadastral unit in South Australia Ta ...

and

Maseru Maseru is the capital and largest city of Lesotho. It is also the capital of the Maseru District. Located on the Caledon River, Maseru lies directly on the Lesotho–South Africa border. Maseru had a population of 330,760 in the 2016 census. T ...

, the capital of

Lesotho Lesotho, formally the Kingdom of Lesotho and formerly known as Basutoland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Entirely surrounded by South Africa, it is the largest of only three sovereign enclave and exclave, enclaves in the world, t ...

. Bloemfontein is also the northern end of the N6 road heading roughly southwards to the port of

East London East London is the part of London, England, east of the ancient City of London and north of the River Thames as it begins to widen. East London developed as London Docklands, London's docklands and the primary industrial centre. The expansion of ...

. There are also two two-digit R routes: the R64, which is the old road to Kimberley, via

Dealesville Dealesville is a mixed farming town in the Free State province of South Africa and is surrounded by numerous salt pans. There are many natural springs in the vicinity, most notably Florisbad some 35 km from the town. The town was establishe ...

and

Boshof Boshof is a farming town in the west of the Free State province, South Africa. The town is 55 km north-east of Kimberley on the R64 road. Established in March 1856 on the farm Vanwyksvlei, which had been named after a Griqua who sowed his ...

. It ends at the N1. The R30 ends at the N1 north of the town. It is the road to

Welkom Welkom () is a city in the Free State (province), Free State province of South Africa, located about northeast of Bloemfontein, the provincial capital. Welkom is also known as Circle City, City Within A Garden, Mvela and Matjhabeng. The city' ...

. Three other three-digit R routes have their origin in Bloemfontein. The R706 takes origin from the N8 in the city centre, and heads south-west towards

Jagersfontein Jagersfontein is a small town in the Free State province of South Africa. Origin The original farm on which the town stands was once the property of a Griqua Jacobus Jagers, hence the name Jagersfontein. He sold the farm to C.F. Visser in 1854 ...

and

Fauresmith Fauresmith is located 130 km south west of Bloemfontein, South Africa. The town, named after Rev Phillip Faure and Sir Harry Smith, is the second oldest town in the Free State. Fauresmith is the only town in South Africa, and one of only t ...

. The R702 also originates from the N8 in the city centre, but heads south-east towards the towns of

Dewetsdorp Dewetsdorp is a small town in the Free State province of South Africa, 68 km south-east of Bloemfontein. The town was set up, without approval of the Volksraad, by field-cornet Jacobus de Wet, father of the Second Anglo-Boer War general Chri ...

and

Wepener Wepener is a town in the Free State, South Africa, located near the border of Lesotho. History The town is named after Louw Wepener, the leader of the Boers in their war with the Basotho chief Moshoeshoe I in 1865. It was founded in 1867 on ...

. The third road, the R700, starts in the city centre from the N8 and heads north, crossing the N1 towards

Bultfontein Bultfontein is a town in the Free State province of South Africa with a total population of about 23,400 people. It is situated in the Tswelopele Local Municipality, about north of Bloemfontein. The town site was laid out in 1873; it had been ...

. Below that level, Bloemfontein has several metropolitan or M roads. These roads are numbered independently of M-roads in other South African cities.

Rail

Bloemfontein is well connected with

rail Rail or rails may refer to: Rail transport *Rail transport and related matters *Railway track or railway lines, the running surface of a railway Arts and media Film * ''Rails'' (film), a 1929 Italian film by Mario Camerini * ''Rail'' (1967 fil ...

. It is located on the most important

rail junction A junction, in the context of rail transport, is a place at which two or more rail routes converge or diverge. The physical connection between the tracks of the two routes (assuming they are of the same gauge) is provided by Railroad switch, tur ...

between

and

, with daily trains to

and

Air

Bloemfontein has two

airports An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface such ...

: New Tempe Aerodrome and

Bram Fischer International Airport Bram Fischer International Airport () is a primary airport located in Bloemfontein, the capital city of the Free State province of South Africa. The runways are shared with AFB Bloemspruit. History The airport was opened in November 1961 an ...

. New Tempe Aerodrome has no scheduled flights; it is a training facility for aviators and schools.

has scheduled flights to South Africa's major cities.

Public transport

In October 2016, the Mangaung Metropolitan and various taxi associations agreed on the Integrated Public Transport system, which is currently under construction. The project consists of two phases. The first phase will involve the construction of busways along the Metropolitan. The second will be the building of depots and stations.

Notable people

Many famous people are associated with Bloemfontein; these include:

Rugby players

François Steyn François Philippus Lodewyk Steyn (born 14 May 1987) is a South African former professional rugby union player. A Utility player#Rugby union, utility back who represented his South Africa national rugby union team, country, he was able to play a ...

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby union: 15 players per side *** American flag rugby *** Beach rugby *** Mini rugby *** Rugby sevens, 7 players per side *** Rugby tens, 10 players per side *** Snow rugby *** Tou ...

player *

Juan Smith Juanne Hugo Smith (born 30 July 1981) is a South African former professional rugby union player who represented South Africa in international test rugby, the Cheetahs in the Super Rugby competition, and the Free State Cheetahs in the Currie Cup ...

player *

Os du Randt Jacobus Petrus "Os" du Randt (born 8 September 1972) is a former South African rugby union loosehead prop who retired as the most-capped forward in the history of the Springboks (a record since surpassed by John Smit, Victor Matfield, Tendai ...

player *

Chris Dry Christopher Adriaan Dry (born 13 February 1988) is a South African professional rugby union player, currently playing with the South African Sevens team in the Sevens World Series. His regular position is a flanker. Youth rugby Dry played r ...

South Africa national rugby sevens team The South African national rugby sevens team, commonly known as the Springbok Sevens, competes in the World Rugby Sevens Series, the Rugby World Cup Sevens, the Summer Olympic Games and the Commonwealth Games. Overall, the team has won the Wo ...

player *

Naka Drotské Allen Erasmus Drotské (born 15 March 1971), commonly known as Naka Drotské, is a South African former rugby union player, who played as a hooker. He played for the South Africa national team, the Springboks, 26 times between 1993 and 1999. P ...

player *

Brendan Venter Brendan Venter (born 29 December 1969) is a South African rugby union coach and former player. Venter played at Centre (rugby union), centre and earned 17 caps for South Africa national rugby union team, South Africa between 1994 and 1999. He p ...

player * Andre Joubert,

player * Andre Venter,

player *

Ruben Kruger Ruben Jacobus Kruger (30 March 1970 – 27 January 2010) was a South African rugby union player. He played as a flanker. He had two daughters Zoë (b. 2002) and Isabella (b. 2005). Isabella played quarter final on the junior tournament at the ...

player *

Ollie Le Roux Andre-Henri "Ollie" le Roux (born 10 May 1973) is a South African rugby union footballer with 54 caps for his country. Rugby career Le Roux was born in Fort Beaufort, Eastern Cape. In his professional club rugby career he has played for: the , ...

player *

Coenie Oosthuizen Coenraad Victor Oosthuizen (born 22 March 1989), nicknamed 'Coenie' or 'Shrek',http://www.timeslive.co.za/sport/rugby/article1067479.ece/30-Seconds-with-Cheetahs-prop-Coenie-Oosthuizen TimesLive: 30 Seconds with Cheetahs prop Coenie Oosthuizen ...

player *

Jannie de Beer Jan Hendrik "Jannie" de Beer (born 22 April 1971) is a South African former rugby union player. He played fly-half for the South African national team, the Springboks. In all he represented the Springboks in 13 tests, scoring 181 points. He w ...

player *

Ox Nché Retshegofaditswe 'Tshego' Nché – more commonly referred to as Ox Nché – (born 23 July 1995) is a South African rugby union player for the in the United Rugby Championship and the South African national team (the Springboks). His regula ...

player

Cricket players

Allan Donald Allan Anthony Donald (born 20 October 1966) is a South African former cricketer who is also the former bowling coach of Bangladesh national cricket team. Often nicknamed 'White Lightning' due to his quick bowling, he is considered one of the ...

, South African

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

er *

Hansie Cronje Wessel Johannes Cronje (25 September 1969 – 1 June 2002) was a South African international cricketer and captain of the South Africa national cricket team in the 1990s. A right-handed all-rounder, as captain Cronje led his team to victory in 2 ...

, South African

captain *

Morne van Wyk Morne, Morné, Mörne, etc. may refer to: People * Morné (given name) * Morné (surname) * Arvid Mörne (1876-1946), a Finnish author and poet Places * Morne a Chandelle, a village in the Sud-Est department of Haiti * Morne-à-l'Eau, a commu ...

, played for South Africa Proteas Cricket team *

Kepler Wessels Kepler Christoffel Wessels (born 14 September 1957) is a South African-Australian cricket commentator and former cricketer who captained South Africa after playing 24 Tests for Australia. Since retiring he has been a lawn bowls competitor. He ...

, test cricketer with Australia and South Africa

Football players

* Willem Jackson played for Bloemfontein Celtic and

South Africa national football team The South Africa national soccer team represents South Africa in men's international soccer and is run by the South African Football Association, the governing body for soccer in South Africa. Nicknamed Bafana Bafana (The Boys in Zulu), the ...

. * Vuyo Mere plays for

Moroka Swallows Moroka Swallows Football Club (often referred to as Swallows or The Birds) is a South African professional football club based in Soweto, Johannesburg, in the Gauteng province. Founded in 1947, Swallows are one of the original two Soweto clubs ...

. * Thabo Nthethe played for Bloemfontein Celtic,

Mamelodi Sundowns Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club (simply known as Sundowns) is a South African professional football club based in Mamelodi, Pretoria in the Gauteng province that plays in the Premiership, the first tier of South African football league syste ...

Chippa United Chippa United Football Club (often known as Chilli boys or Chippa) is a South African professional football club based in East London in the Eastern Cape province, having previously been based in Nyanga suburb of the city of Cape Town. The club ...

and South Africa national football team. * Thembinkosi Lorch former

Orlando Pirates Orlando Pirates Football Club, referred to as simply Pirates, is a South African professional football club based in Orlando, Soweto that plays in the top-tier system of Football in South Africa known as Betway Premiership. The team plays i ...

player, currently with

Wydad AC Wydad Athletic Club (, ), often known outside Morocco as Wydad Casablanca, is a Moroccan sports club based in Casablanca. Wydad AC is best known for its professional Association football, football team that competes in Botola, the top tier of th ...

. * Kgotso Moleko plays for

Kaizer Chiefs Kaizer Chiefs Football Club (often known as Chiefs) is a South African professional football club based in Naturena, Johannesburg South, that plays in the Premiership. The team is nicknamed ''AmaKhosi'', which means "Kings" or "Chiefs" in Zu ...

. *

Neo Maema Neo Maema (born 1 December 1995) is a South African professional soccer player who plays as an attacking midfielder for South African Premier Division side Mamelodi Sundowns. Career Maema started his career at Bloemfontein Celtic aged 22. After ...

plays for

Musicians

Leon Schuster Leon Ernest "Schucks" Schuster (born 21 May 1951) is a South African filmmaker, comedian, actor, prankster and singer. Early life Schuster was drawn to the filmmaking process at an early age. As a child he and his brother would play practical ...

, filmmaker, comedian and musician, born and schooled in Bloemfontein *

Shaun Morgan Shaun Morgan Welgemoed (, born 21 December 1978) is a South African musician. He is the lead singer, songwriter, and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Seether. Early life Morgan spent most of his early life in South Africa.Bottomley, CSeeth ...

and Dale Stewart, musicians and founding members of the band

Seether Seether are a South African Rock music, rock band founded in 1999 in Pretoria, Gauteng. The band originally performed under the name Saron Gas until 2002, when they moved to the United States and changed it to Seether to avoid confusion with ...

* Coenie de Villiers, Afrikaans musician and songwriter * Brendan Peyper, Afrikaans musician and songwriter

Actors / Directors

, filmmaker, comedian and musician, born and schooled in Bloemfontein * Tony Kgoroge, South African actor, performances in movies including ''

Hotel Rwanda ''Hotel Rwanda'' is a 2004 biographical historical drama film co-written and directed by Terry George. It was adapted from a screenplay by George and Keir Pearson, and stars Don Cheadle and Sophie Okonedo as hotelier Paul Rusesabagina and h ...

'', ''

Blood Diamond Blood diamonds (also called conflict diamonds, brown diamonds, hot diamonds, or red diamonds) are diamonds mined in a war zone and sold to finance an insurgency, an invading army's war efforts, terrorism, or a warlord's activity. The term is u ...

'', ''

Invictus "Invictus" is a short poem by the Victorian era British poet William Ernest Henley (1849–1903). Henley wrote it in 1875, and in 1888 he published it in his first volume of poems, ''Book of Verses'', in the section titled "Life and Death (Echoe ...

'', ''

Lord of War ''Lord of War'' is a 2005 Crime drama film, crime-drama film written and directed by Andrew Niccol. It stars Nicolas Cage, Jared Leto, Bridget Moynahan, Ethan Hawke, and Eamonn Walker in primary roles. The plot follows an unscrupulous Ukrain ...

'' and ''

Skin Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation. Other animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have different ...

Other

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

was born in Bloemfontein on 3 January 1892. Tolkien is famous for creating the ''

Legendarium Tolkien's legendarium is the body of J. R. R. Tolkien's mythopoeic writing, unpublished in his lifetime, that forms the background to his ''The Lord of the Rings'', and which his son Christopher summarized in his compilation of ''The Silmari ...

'' fantasy epics, ''

The Hobbit ''The Hobbit, or There and Back Again'' is a children's fantasy novel by the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published in 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the ...

'', ''

The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an Epic (genre), epic high fantasy novel written by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's book ''The Hobbit'' but eventually d ...

'' and ''

The Silmarillion ''The Silmarillion'' () is a book consisting of a collection of myths and stories in varying styles by the English writer J. R. R. Tolkien. It was edited, partly written, and published posthumously by his son Christopher in 1977, assisted by G ...

''. At three years of age, Tolkien left South Africa for England. *

Ryk Neethling Ryk Neethling OIS (born 17 November 1977) is a South African businessman who rose to prominence as a three-time World Aquatic Champion and four-time World Record breaking Olympic swimming champion, participating in four Olympics for South Af ...

, Olympic gold medalist swimmer *

Zola Budd Zola Budd (also known as Zola Pieterse; born 26 May 1966) is a South African Middle-distance running, middle-distance and Long-distance running, long-distance runner. She competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics, 1984 Olympic Games for Great Britain ...

, international long-distance athlete, born in the city and attended Sentraal High School *

Gerrit Badenhorst Gerrit Badenhorst (born 10 October 1962) is a former WPC world champion powerlifter and professional strongman competitor from South Africa. Powerlifting Badenhorst was born on 10 October 1962 in De Aar, Northern Cape, South Africa.David Web ...

, a powerlifter and strongman competitor. *

Karla Pretorius Karla Pretorius (née Mostert; born 12 March 1990) is a South African netball player, and has represented her country with the South Africa national netball team. She plays in the positions of Goal Defence (GD) and Wing Defence (WD). She previo ...

South Africa national netball team The South Africa national netball team, also known as the SPAR Proteas, represent Netball South Africa in international netball tournaments, such as the Netball World Cup, the Commonwealth Games, the Netball Quad Series and the Fast5 Netball W ...

player, attended the

Frans Claerhout Frans Claerhout (15 February 1919 – 4 July 2006) was a Belgian painter who spent most of his adult life in South Africa. Biography Claerhout was born in Pittem, West Flanders in 1919, and moved to South Africa as a missionary for the Cath ...

, artist *

Gert Coetzer Gert Coetzer ( – 10 November 2018), also known by the nickname of "Oupa" (meaning "Old Man" in Afrikaans), was a South African rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s. He played representative le ...

, rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s * Beric John Croome, Advocate of the

High Court of South Africa The High Court of South Africa is a superior court of law in South Africa. It is divided into nine provinces of South Africa, provincial divisions, some of which sit in more than one location. Each High Court division has general jurisdiction ov ...

Winkie Direko Isabella Winkie Direko (27 November 192917 February 2012) was a South African politician born in the Free State province of South Africa. She was a member of the African National Congress and served as Premier of the Free State from 1999 to 200 ...

, first black chancellor of the

* Lizzie van Zyl, Child inmate of the Bloemfontein concentration camp during the

* Dr John Vernon Harrison

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and Literature, letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". ...

geologist, was born here *

Flaxman Qoopane Moalosi Jacob Qoopane (1955–2017), also known as “Flaxman” was known as “the father of literature and arts” in Bloemfontein. Qoopane was a South African literary activist and internationally recognised author, poet, journalist and bio ...

, writer * Billy Modise * Elzabe Rockman, former Free State MEC for Finance

Religion

Bloemfontein has a large and diverse Christian population. The city houses several churches and denominations: * It is the seat of the

Anglican Diocese of the Free State The Diocese of the Free State is a diocese in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa. It was formerly known as the 'Diocese of Bloemfontein'. History The first service North of the Orange River to be taken by an Anglican clergyman was conducted i ...

* Afrikaans

Baptist Church Baptists are a denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers ( believer's baptism) and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches generally subscribe to the doctrines of ...

(Afrikaans: ''Afrikaanse Baptiste Kerk'') *

Dutch Reformed Church The Dutch Reformed Church (, , abbreviated NHK ) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the traditional denomination of the Dutch royal famil ...

(Afrikaans: ''Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk'') * Sacred Heart Cathedral in Bloemfontein is the seat of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bloemfontein The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bloemfontein () is the Metropolitan See for the ecclesiastical province of Bloemfontein in South Africa. History * 1951.01.11: Established as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Bloemfontein from the Apostolic Vicari ...

Seventh-day Adventist Church The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sa ...

, Southern African headquarters. * Christian Revival Church. * New Covenant Ministries International had a church called Fountainhead led by Chris Gerber. It was a New Testament Church known as Fountainhead Church International. Later, this church merged with Doxa Deo Bloemfontein, now the combined church's name. The city also has a large Jewish population, established in the mid-19th century. There are two main cemeteries in Bloemfontein: * The Old Cemetery: Over 1,000 names from the three cemeteries. Old: The oldest of the three cemeteries, dating from 1871, is simply a tiny fenced-off area of a public cemetery near the city centre. It includes a few graves of several Jewish pioneers involved in the city's early days who died serving on either side in the Boer War, 1899–1902. Each of these pioneer families' thirty or so tombstones has been completely transcribed. * South Park: This cemetery was consecrated in 1978 and now includes over 10,000 graves. It is the biggest cemetery in the Free State. On 7 October 2010, Several tombstones in the

Jewish cemetery A Jewish cemetery ( ''beit almin'' or ''beit kvarot'') is a cemetery where Jews are buried in keeping with Halakha, Jewish tradition. Cemeteries are referred to in several different ways in Hebrew, including ''beit kevarot'' (house of s ...

in Bloemfontein were defaced with

swastika The swastika (卐 or 卍, ) is a symbol used in various Eurasian religions and cultures, as well as a few Indigenous peoples of Africa, African and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, American cultures. In the Western world, it is widely rec ...

s and antisemitic graffiti. On 10 April 2012, Bloemfontein's historic Memorium cemetery was vandalized, with 35 tombstones toppled and obscene graffiti daubed on the walls of the adjoining Ohel. The graffiti included images of money bags and diamonds, as well as of a crudely drawn

Magen David The Star of David (, , ) is a symbol generally recognized as representing both Jewish identity and Judaism. Its shape is that of a hexagram: the compound of two equilateral triangles. A derivation of the Seal of Solomon was used for decor ...

, allegedly as part of an anti-Semitic act. There is also the old Phahameng cemetery, which dates back to the 1960s and was explicitly reserved for Africans during the apartheid era and has a Heroes Acre, where freedom fighters are laid to rest. The Heide Heights cemetery in Heidedal was reserved for coloured people during the apartheid era, but all races could bury their dead after 1994. This cemetery has been closed due to it being full.

Community service organisations

* Round Table 158 Bloemfontein The first

Round Table The Round Table (; ; ; ) is King Arthur's famed table (furniture), table in the Arthurian legend, around which he and his knights congregate. As its name suggests, it has no head, implying that everyone who sits there has equal status, unlike co ...

was formed in

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...

, England in 1927. The founder, Louis Marchesi, was a young member of the Norwich Rotary Club who felt a need existed for a club where the young business owners of the town could gather regularly. At their meetings, they could exchange ideas, learn from the experiences of their colleagues, and play a collective part in the civic life of Norwich. From a very early stage, it was agreed that Round Table would be a non-religious, non-political club, which has continued to this day. * Child Welfare Bloemfontein Child Welfare Bloemfontein & Childline Free State is a non-profit organisation that was founded in 1914 by a group of volunteers who identified a need for welfare services among the community. In 2004, Child Welfare Bloemfontein celebrated its 90th birthday. Over the past 90 years, many community programmes have been successfully implemented. * Freemasons The Masonic Centre, Bloemfontein, was built during the 1970s when all the

Masonic Lodges A Masonic lodge (also called Freemasons' lodge, or private lodge or constituent lodge) is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also a commonly used term for a building where Freemasons meet and hold their meetings. Every new l ...

in Bloemfontein, sold their individual properties. The centre was erected to facilitate all Masonic activities in Bloemfontein and surrounding areas. All four active Constitutions in South Africa gather at the centre. The lodges that own the centre are Lodge Unie (est. 1864), the Rising Star Lodge (est. 1865), Thistle Lodge (est.1903), Emerald Lodge (est. 1905), Lodge Dagbreek (est. 1932) & Lodge Oranje (est. 1964). Various side degrees are catered for at the Centre, which includes the Mark, Ark, the Royal Arch & Rose Croix. Bloemfontein has a rich Masonic history, especially in the Anglo-Boer War (1899–1902), with members such as Lord Kitchener,

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English journalist, novelist, poet, and short-story writer. He was born in British Raj, British India, which inspired much ...

and

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Hol ...

, visiting Lodges in Bloemfontein.

International relations

Sister cities

Nanjing Nanjing or Nanking is the capital of Jiangsu, a province in East China. The city, which is located in the southwestern corner of the province, has 11 districts, an administrative area of , and a population of 9,423,400. Situated in the Yang ...

, China *

Bhubaneshwar Bhubaneswar () is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Odisha. It is located in the Khordha district. The suburban region, especially the old town, was historically often depicted as ''Chakra Khetra'' and ''Ekamra Khetra'' ( ...

, India

References

External links

Bloemfontein
The official Mangaung Local Municipality website *
Apartheid and housing in Mangaung and Botshabelo
{{Authority control Populated places in Mangaung Cities in South Africa Provincial capitals in South Africa Capitals in Africa Populated places established in 1846

Bloemfontein Bloemfontein ( ; ), also known as Bloem, is the capital and the largest city of the Free State (province), Free State province in South Africa. It is often, and has been traditionally, referred to as the country's "judicial capital", alongsi ...

Second Boer War concentration camps