Kroonstad (

Afrikaans Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gr ...

directly translated "Crown City") is the third largest city in the Free State (after

Bloemfontein Bloemfontein, ( ; , "fountain of flowers") also known as Bloem, is one of South Africa's three capital cities and the capital of the Free State province. It serves as the country's judicial capital, along with legislative capital Cape To ...

and

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

) and lies two hours' drive on the N1 from

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

. Maokeng is an area within Kroonstad, and is occasionally used as a synonym of the town itself. 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 ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a Megacity#List of megacities, megacity, and is List of urban areas by p ...

. ''Maokeng'' is Sesotho and means "place of the thorn trees ( mimosa trees)".

History

Kroonstad was established in 1855 by the Irish pioneer Joseph Orpen, and was the first founded after the independence of the

Orange Free State The Orange Free State ( nl, Oranje Vrijstaat; af, Oranje-Vrystaat;) was an independent Boer sovereign republic under British suzerainty in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, which ceased to exist after it was defeat ...

. While ' means "crown", this was in fact the name of a horse that had drowned in the nearby ford. 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 ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the So ...

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

, and subsequently the site of a

concentration camp Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...

to contain

Boer Boers ( ; af, Boere ()) are the descendants of the Dutch-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 this are ...

women and children.

Economy

The main industry of Kroonstad is

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people ...

. 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, releases ...

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 *Caravan (travellers), a group of travellers journeying together **Caravanserai, a place where a caravan could stop *Camel train, a convoy using camels as pack animals *Convoy, a group of veh ...

and many more camp sites on the banks of the

willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist so ...

-lined Vals River (Valsrivier) 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 to Odendaalsrus in the south-west and Heilbron in the east, the R76 to Steynsrus in the south-east and

Viljoenskroon Viljoenskroon is a maize and cattle farming town located in the Free State province of South Africa. It was named after the original farm owner J. J. Viljoen and his horse ''Kroon'' (Crown).R721 to Vredefort in the north-west and the R82 to

Sasolburg Sasolburg is a large industrial city within the Metsimaholo Local Municipality in the far north of the Free State province of South Africa. Sasolburg is further sub-divided into three areas: Sasolburg proper, Vaalpark (a more affluent cluster o ...

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 (intercity) passenger rail services. It operates various train routes across South Africa, carrying approximately 4 million passengers ...

, 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 air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfa ...

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 centre.

General attractions

Kroonstad is said to be one of the Free State's loveliest towns and lies on the banks of the Vals River, 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 Ocean. I ...

, 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 (second-hand) 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 Jukskei is a 270-year-old folk sport ( af, Boeresport) developed and played in South Africa. History Jukskei is believed to have originated around 1743 in the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, developed by "transport riders" who traveled with ox ...

, 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, Cillie ...

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 jutting from a wall to carry a superincumbent weight, a type of bracket. A corbel is a solid piece of material in the wall, whereas a console is a piece applied to the s ...

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

* Banele Gaza, record producer * Sid James, actor * Angela de Jesus, artist * David Kau, comedian *

Steve Komphela Steve Komphela (born 1 July 1967) is a South African football coach and a former player. He is the former manager of Maritzburg United, Kaizer Chiefs, Golden Arrows and Bloemfontein Celtic. He is currently working as a Senior Coach at Mamelod ...

, football coach *

Antjie Krog Antjie Krog (born 23 October 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 f ...

, poet * Min Shaw, singer *

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 * Teboho Mahlatsi, writer, co-creator, film producer *

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

, actor & EFF politician * Jeffrey Ntuka, football player * Max du Preez, journalist *

Levy Sekgapane Levy Sekgapane (born December 16, 1990) is a South-African operatic tenor. The singer is a 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 ...

, 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 * Mantoa Tshabala-Msimang, former ANC politician *

Mosiuoa Lekota Mosiuoa Gerard Patrick Lekota (born 13 August 1948) is a South African politician, who currently serves as the President and Leader of the Congress of the People since 16 December 2008. Previously as a member of the African National Congress, ...

, 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 2004 ...

, former ANC politician * Robbie Wessels, singer * Lize Beekman, singer *

Anton Goosen Anton Goosen (born 5 March 1946) 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 school, Goosen was not consider ...

, singer * Jan Blohm, 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 L ...

, former Springbok rugby player and coach * Andre Venter, former Springbok rugby player * Faan Rautenbach, former Springbok rugby player * Kulu Ferreira, former Springbok rugby player *

Burger Geldenhuys Schalk Burger Geldenhuys (born 18 May 1956) is a South African former rugby union player. Career Throughout his career he played for only one province, Northern Transvaal. Geldenhuys played 184 matches for Northern Transvaal and also captain ...

, former Springbok rugby player * Michael Claassens, former Springbok rugby player * Bok Fourie, 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 1982 to 14 September 1984. He was an Afrikaner with a surname o ...

, 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 long-time collaboration ...

, 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 heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

.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 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 ( la, corona muralis) is a crown or headpiece representing city walls, towers, or fortresses. In classical antiquity, it was an emblem of tutelary deities who watched over a city, and among the Romans a military decoration. Later ...

in the 1960s. The supporters were a

black wildebeest The black wildebeest or white-tailed gnu (''Connochaetes gnou'') is one of the two closely related wildebeest species. It is a member of the genus '' Connochaetes'' and family Bovidae. It was first described in 1780 by Eberhard August Wilhelm ...

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 Afri ...

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

Sister cities

Kroonstad has two sister cities whose names are reminiscent of its own: * – Braşov (german: Kronstadt, links=no), a city in Romania * –

Kronstadt Kronstadt (russian: Кроншта́дт, Kronshtadt ), also spelled Kronshtadt, Cronstadt or Kronštádt (from german: link=no, Krone for " crown" and ''Stadt'' for "city") is a Russian port city in Kronshtadtsky District of the federal city ...

, 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