Maselspoort is a resort complex in

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 the Free State province of

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 ...

. Maselspoort is situated on the banks of the

Modder River The Modder River is a river in South Africa. It is a tributary of the Riet River that forms part of the border between the Northern Cape and the Free State provinces. The river's banks were the scenes of heavy fighting in the beginning of the ...

, from

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 ...

. It is a popular resort town for Bloemfontein city dwellers, and a popular fishing spot. It was originally known as "Mazel's Pass", after a Mr Mazel who owned the land. In 1904 a major water works was opened at Maselspoort, and in 1927

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

erected the

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 ...

. The then-Prince George of England stopped at Maselspoort in 1934 as part of a visit to Bloemfontein.

References

Populated places in Mangaung {{FreeState-geo-stub