Kroonstad ( 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 ...

) is a town in

Free State, South Africa 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 Orange ...

, consisting of the following suburbs: Brentpark, Constantia, Constantia Park, Dawid Malanville, Elandia, Gelukwaarts, Goedgedacht, Heuningspruit, Industria, Jordania, Koekoe Village, Kroonheuwel, Maokeng, Morewag, Noordhoek, Ou Dorp, Panorama, Phomolong, Presidensia, Prison Area, Seisoville, Suidrand, Tuinhof, Uitsig, Vooruitsig, West Park and Wilgenhof. Being the fourth largest town in the Free State (after

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 ...

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' ...

and

Bethlehem Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of people, as of . The city's economy is strongly linked to Tourism in the State of Palesti ...

), Kroonstad lies approximately two hours' drive along the N1 from

Gauteng Gauteng ( , ; Sotho-Tswana languages, Sotho-Tswana for 'place of gold'; or ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts f ...

. It is the second-largest commercial and urban centre in the Northern Free State (after Welkom), and an important railway junction on the main line from

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 ...

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 ...

History

Kroonstad was established in 1855 by the Irish pioneer

Joseph Orpen Joseph Millerd Orpen (5 November 1828 – 17 December 1923) was an influential colonial administrator for the British empire in southern Africa, as well as a local member of the Cape Parliament and the Orange Free State, Orange Free State Volks ...

, and was the first town founded after the independence of 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 ...

. It was chosen as the capital of the state, a dignity it held from the March 13 to May 11 1900. On the following day the town was occupied by Lord Roberts. The linking of the town in 1906 with the

Colony of Natal The Colony of Natal was a British colony in south-eastern Africa. It was proclaimed a British colony on 4 May 1843 after the British government had annexed the Boer Republic of Natalia, and on 31 May 1910 combined with three other colonies t ...

made the route via Kroonstad the shortest railway connection between

and

Durban Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South ...

. While ' means "crown", this was in fact the name of a horse that had drowned in the nearby

ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

. A lover of animals, Orpen had witnessed the incident, and named the infant settlement in honour of the unfortunate creature. Similarly, the ford in question came to be known as ''Kroondrift''. During 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 ...

, from 13 March to 11 May 1900, the city became the capital of the

, and subsequently the site of 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 ...

to contain

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 ...

women and children.

Economy

The main industry of Kroonstad is

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

. It is the centre of a rich agricultural district, producing maize, wheat, dairy and meat products and wool. The

Bloemhoek Dam Bloemhoek Dam, is an earth-fill type dam located on a small river called Jordaan Spruit close to Kroonstad, Free State, province South Africa. It is part of the Vals River System. The Serfontein Dam, which is almost completely silted-up, release ...

lies just east of the town and supplies much of its water needs. A

caravan park Caravan or caravans may refer to: Transport and travel * Campervan, a type of vehicle also known as a motor caravan *Caravan (travellers), a group of travellers journeying together **Caravanserai, a place where a caravan could stop * Caravan (tra ...

and many more camp sites on the banks of the

willow 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 ...

-lined

Vals River The Vals River () is a tributary of the Vaal River in the Free State, South Africa. It is a strong seasonal river. This river of the Middle Vaal System is a good place for fishing, especially the local Largemouth Yellowfish. Course The river s ...

() are frequented by anglers and watersport enthusiasts.

Leisure

Leisure opportunities are plentiful in Kroonstad, where visitors can enjoy golf on the 18-hole course in the town, lion tours and interaction with lion and tiger cubs at the Boskoppie Lion and Tiger Park, fishing in the well stocked Vals River or on the

, and boating on the Serfontein Dam. Horseriding, gliding and hiking trails are also available.

Transport

Road

Kroonstad lies directly on the N1, which bypasses the town centre to the east (to

in the north and

in the south). Other regional roads in the town are the

R34 R34 may refer to: * Nissan Skyline (R34), a mid-size car ** Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34), a sports car * R34 (New York City Subway car) * R34 (South Africa) * HM Airship ''R.34'', a rigid airship of the Royal Air Force * , a destroyer of the Royal Na ...

Odendaalsrus Odendaalsrus is the oldest gold mining town in the Lejweleputswa District Municipality in the goldfields of the Free State province in South Africa. History It started out in 1912 as a ramshackle collection of farms and a central church that b ...

in the south-west and

Heilbron Heilbron is a town in the Free State (South African province), Free State province of South Africa which services the cattle, dairy, sorghum, sunflower and maize industries. Raw stock beneficiation occurs in leisure foods, dairy products and st ...

in the east, the R76 to

Steynsrus Steynsrus, also called Matlwangtlwang is a small farming town in the Free State (South African province), Free State province of South Africa that was founded in 1910 and named after the last president of the Orange Free State, Martinus Theunis St ...

in the south-east and

Viljoenskroon Viljoenskroon is a maize and cattle farming town located in the Free State (South African province), Free State province of South Africa. It was named after the original farm owner J. J. Viljoen and his horse ''Kroon'' (Crown).

in the north-west, the R721 to

Vredefort Vredefort (, ) is a small farming town in the Free State province of South Africa with cattle, peanuts, sorghum, sunflowers and maize being farmed. It is home to 3,000 residents. The town was established in 1876 on a farm called Visgat, on th ...

in the north-west and the R82 to

Sasolburg Sasolburg is a city in the Free State province of South Africa. The city is located in the northern part of the province and is the seat of the Metsimaholo Local Municipality. The city lies 13 kilometres south of the Gauteng province and form ...

in the north-east.

Rail

Kroonstad railway station serves the town and is located on the important railway junction from

via

. On 4 January 2018, a passenger train, operated by

Shosholoza Meyl Shosholoza Meyl is a division of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) that operates long-distance (inter-city rail, intercity) passenger rail services. It operates various train routes across South Africa, carrying approximately 4 mi ...

, collided with a truck on a level crossing near Kroonstad/Hennenman. The train was derailed, and at least one of the carriages caught fire. Twenty people were killed and 260 were injured.

Air

Kroonstad is served by a small

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

with no passenger flights.

Shopping

Shopping in Kroonstad is characterised by typical high street shopping. The development of the new Kroonstad Water Front Mall is underway, Maokeng Mall, Panorama Plaza, Checkers Centre, Shoprite Centre, Ultra City Centre and

Pick n Pay Pick n Pay (officially Pick n Pay Group Ltd) is a major South African grocery retail chain, headquartered in Cape Town. It operates both corporate and franchised stores under two brands – Pick n Pay (which includes its Supermarket, Clothing ...

centre.

General attractions

Kroonstad is said to be one of the Free State's loveliest towns and lies on the banks of the

, a tributary of the

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 ...

, roughly two hours' drive from Johannesburg. It is situated in an area characterised by open spaces and an abundant variety of vegetation that makes it particularly beautiful. Kroonstad is a quaint town that serves as a good stop over en route between Johannesburg and Bloemfontein, lying as it does at virtually the halfway mark. Kroonstad offers an array of activities that include

flea market A flea market (or swap meet) is a type of street market that provides space for vendors to sell previously owned (secondhand) goods. This type of market is often seasonal. However, in recent years there has been the development of 'formal' ...

s, a tea garden, fishing on the Vals River or at the Bloemhoek Dam, walking trails and lion tours and lion and tiger interaction at Boskoppie Lion and Tiger park. Today, as an important administrative, agricultural and educational centre, Kroonstad still boasts much of the inherent rugged beauty which led the Voortrekkers to establish the town where they did. Sporting facilities of all kinds are well catered for, notably for jukskei, an Afrikaner folk sport. The headquarters of the SA Jukskei Council has been established here since 1951. The city is rich in historical sights; several historic buildings and statues, a former concentration camp, the

Sarel Cilliers Charl (Sarel) Arnoldus Cilliers (7 September 1801 – 4 October 1871) was a Voortrekker leader and a preacher. With Andries Pretorius, he led the Boers to a huge victory over the Zulus at the Battle of Blood River in 1838. In particular, Cilli ...

Museum (although currently inactive) and other places of national interest can be found here. Kroonstad is an important agricultural service centre in the Free State with a predominantly agricultural-orientated economy served by a modern toll-road. This brings the PWV Region within two hours drive from Kroonstad as well as being accessible from the North West,

and the Eastern Free State. In July 2022 Kroonstad was announced as the winner in the Kwêla Dorp Van Die Jaar competition.

Historical sites

The Bloemspruit Monument commemorates those who died in the Kroonstad Concentration Camp, A Garden of Remembrance commemorates Allied soldiers fallen in the two World Wars. A

blockhouse A blockhouse is a small fortification, usually consisting of one or more rooms with loopholes, allowing its defenders to fire in various directions. It is usually an isolated fort in the form of a single building, serving as a defensive stro ...

south of the city is a reminder of later stages of the

. Stone

corbel In architecture, a corbel is a structural piece of stone, wood or metal keyed into and projecting from a wall to carry a wikt:superincumbent, bearing weight, a type of bracket (architecture), bracket. A corbel is a solid piece of material in t ...

led huts, refuges for the prehistoric inhabitants of the region, occur in various locations about the city. In addition, fossils and San rock art are present in the region.

Notable people

Sid James Sidney James (born Solomon Joel Cohen; 8 May 1913 – 26 April 1976) was a South African–British actor and comedian whose career encompassed radio, television, stage and screen. Noted for his distinctive laugh, he was best known for numerou ...

, actor * Angela de Jesus, artist *

Steve Komphela Steve Komphela (born 1 July 1967) is a South African football coach and a former player who is the manager of South African Premier Soccer League club Mamelodi Sundowns F.C. Early life Steve was born in Golden Valley farm, 20 km outside K ...

, football coach *

Antjie Krog Antjie Krog (born 1952) is a South African writer and academic, best known for her Afrikaans poetry, her reporting on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and her 1998 book '' Country of My Skull''. In 2004, she joined the Arts faculty of t ...

, poet *

Pallo Jordan Zweledinga Pallo Jordan (born 22 May 1942) is a South African politician. He was a member of the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress, and was a cabinet minister from 1994 until 2009. Early life Jordan is the son of th ...

, former ANC politician *

Fana Mokoena Fana Mokoena (born 13 May 1971) is a South African actor and political activist, he served as a Member of Parliament, first as a delegate to the National Council of Provinces representing his home province Free State (province), Free State from ...

, actor & EFF politician * Jeffrey Ntuka, football player *

Max du Preez Max du Preez (born 10 March 1951) is a South African author, columnist and documentary filmmaker and was the founding editor of ''Vrye Weekblad''. Vrye Weekblad Online or Vrye Weekblad II was launched on 5 April 2019 again with Max du Preez as ...

, journalist *

Levy Sekgapane Levy Sekgapane is a South-African operatic and Bel canto tenor whose repertoire includes roles in works by G. Rossini, G. Donizetti, W. A. Mozart, J. S. Bach. Sekgapane was named the 30 Under 30 Europe 2018: Arts & Culture by Forbes magazin ...

, operatic tenor *

Al J Venter Al J. Venter (born Albertus Johannes Venter, 25 November 1938) is a South African war journalist, documentary filmmaker, and author of more than forty books who also served as an Africa and Middle East correspondent for ''Jane's International D ...

, writer and journalist *

Mosiuoa Lekota Mosiuoa Gerard Patrick Lekota (born 13 August 1948) is a South African anti-Apartheid revolutionary for the African National Congress (ANC) who served jail time with Nelson Mandela from 1985 and who left the ANC to form the Congress of the Peo ...

, former ANC politician *

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 ...

, former ANC politician *

Robbie Wessels Robert Albert Wessels is a South African 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 ...

, singer *

Anton Goosen Anton Goosen (born 5 March 1946 in Middelburg, Eastern Cape) is a South African musician and songwriter. He became a pivotal figure in Afrikaans music and is generally regarded as the father of Afrikaans Rock. Early years As a young boy in sch ...

, singer *

Gert Smal Gert Petrus Smal (born 27 December 1961, Kimberley, South Africa) is a former South African rugby union player and assistant coach of the South African and Irish national rugby union teams. He is currently the forwards coach at Japanese Top ...

, former Springbok rugby player and coach *

André Venter André Gerhardus Venter (born 14 November 1970 in Vereeniging, South Africa) is a former South African rugby union footballer who earned 66 caps playing for the South Africa national team during the mid-to-late 1990s and early 2000s. He repres ...

, former Springbok rugby player * Faan Rautenbach, former Springbok rugby player * Kulu Ferreira, former Springbok rugby player * Burger Geldenhuys, former Springbok rugby player * Michael Claassens, former Springbok rugby player *

, preacher, Voortrekker leader, leader at Blood River *

Alwyn Schlebusch Alwyn Louis Schlebusch (16 September 1917 – 7 January 2008) was a South African politician, the only holder of the title Vice State President of South Africa from 1 January 1981 to 14 September 1984. He was an Afrikaner with a surname ...

, politician, Vice President of South Africa 1981 *

Herbert Kretzmer Herbert Kretzmer (5 October 192514 October 2020) was a South African-born English journalist and lyricist. He was best known as the lyricist for the English-language musical adaptation of ''Les Misérables'' and for his collaboration with French ...

, lyricist for the English-language musical adaptation of Les Misérables

Coat of arms

By 1931, the Kroonstad municipal council had assumed a

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

.The arms were depicted on
cigarette card
issued in 1931. It was registered with the

Provincial Administration in February 1967Orange Free State ''Official Gazette'' 8 (17 February 1967). and at the

Bureau of Heraldry The Bureau of Heraldry is the South African heraldic authority, established in Pretoria on 1 June 1963. It is headed by a State Herald (known unofficially as the National Herald since 2004) and its functions are to register arms, badges, flags ...

in April 1971.http://www.national.archsrch.gov.za The arms were: ''Or, a tree on an island proper; on a chief Argent fimbriated Azure, a locomotive and tender Sable'' ("a golden shield displaying a tree on a grassy base, below a black locomotive and tender on a silver stripe across the top of the shield"). Originally, an imperial crown was placed above the shield, but it was replaced with a golden

mural crown A mural crown () is a Crown (headgear), crown or headpiece representing city walls, fortified tower, towers, or fortresses. In classical antiquity, it was an emblem of tutelary deities who watched over a city, and among the ancient Rome, Romans ...

in the 1960s. The supporters were a

black wildebeest The black wildebeest or white-tailed gnu (Connochaetes gnou) is one of two wildebeest species—the other being the blue wildebeest—in the family Bovidae. First described in 1780 by the German zoologist Eberhard August Wilhelm von Zimmermann, ...

and a

blesbok The blesbok or blesbuck (''Damaliscus pygargus phillipsi'') is a subspecies of the bontebok antelope endemic to South Africa, Eswatini and Namibia. It has a distinctive white face and forehead, which inspired the name because ''bles'' is the Afr ...

, and the motto was '' Finis coronat opus''.

Sister cities

Kroonstad has two sister cities whose names are reminiscent of its own: * – Braşov (), a city in Romania * –

Kronstadt Kronstadt (, ) is a Russian administrative divisions of Saint Petersburg, port city in Kronshtadtsky District of the federal cities of Russia, federal city of Saint Petersburg, located on Kotlin Island, west of Saint Petersburg, near the head ...

, a Russian seaport city west of Saint Petersburg

References

External links

kroonstadinfo.co.za: Kroonstad directoryRoutes.co.za: KroonstadNG Moederkerk
{{Authority control Populated places in the Moqhaka Local Municipality Second Boer War concentration camps Former national capitals Populated places established in 1855 1855 establishments in the Orange Free State

History

Economy

Leisure

Transport

Road

Rail

Air

Shopping

General attractions

Historical sites

Notable people

Coat of arms

Sister cities

See also

References

External links