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, 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 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, 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 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. 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 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 lies just east of the town and supplies much of its water needs. A caravan park 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 () 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 Bloemhoek Dam, 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 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 in the north-west, the R721 to Vredefort in the north-west and the R82 to Sasolburg 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, 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 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, 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 markets, 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 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 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, actor * Angela de Jesus, artist * Steve Komphela, football coach * Antjie Krog, poet * Pallo Jordan, former ANC politician * Fana Mokoena, actor & EFF politician * Jeffrey Ntuka, football player * Max du Preez, journalist * Levy Sekgapane, operatic tenor * Al J Venter, writer and journalist * Mosiuoa Lekota, former ANC politician * Winkie Direko, former ANC politician * Robbie Wessels, singer * Anton Goosen, singer * Gert Smal, former Springbok rugby player and coach * André Venter, 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 * Sarel Cilliers, preacher, Voortrekker leader, leader at Blood River * Alwyn Schlebusch, politician, Vice President of South Africa 1981 * Herbert Kretzmer, 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 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 in the 1960s. The supporters were a black wildebeest and a blesbok, 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, 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