Kroonstad | |
|---|---|
   Clockwise from top:Kroonstad NG Motherchurch &Sarel Cilliers monument, Town Hall, Alex Fairweather corner in the CBD | |
| Motto(s): Finis Corona Opus (Latin: The End of the Crown Work) | |
  Kroonstad  Kroonstad  Kroonstad | |
| Coordinates:27°39′S27°14′E / 27.650°S 27.233°E /-27.650; 27.233 | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Free State |
| District | Fezile Dabi |
| Municipality | Moqhaka |
| Established | 1854[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 89.1 km2 (34.4 sq mi) |
| Population (2011)[2] | |
• Total | 168,762 |
| • Density | 1,890/km2 (4,910/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2011) | |
| • Black African | 85.2% |
| • Coloured | 4.0% |
| • Indian/Asian | 0.4% |
| • White | 10.1% |
| • Other | 0.3% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • Sotho | 73.3% |
| • Afrikaans | 15.8% |
| • English | 3.1% |
| • Xhosa | 2.5% |
| • Other | 5.3% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Postal code (street) | 9499 |
| PO box | 9500 |
| Area code | 056 |
Kroonstad (lit. 'Crown City' inAfrikaans) is a town on theN1 highway inFree State, South Africa. It is the fourth largest town in the Free State (afterBloemfontein,Welkom andBethlehem). 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 fromCape Town toJohannesburg.
Kroonstad was established in 1855[3] by the Irish pioneerJoseph Orpen, and was the first town founded after the independence of theOrange Free State. 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 byLord Roberts. The linking of the town in 1906 with theColony of Natal made the route via Kroonstad the shortest railway connection betweenCape Town andDurban.[4]
WhileKroon means "crown", this was in fact the name of a horse that had drowned in the nearbyford. 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 asKroondrift.[3][5]
During theSecond Boer War, from 13 March to 11 May 1900, the city became the capital of theOrange Free State, and subsequently the site of aconcentration camp to containBoer women and children.
The main industry of Kroonstad isagriculture. It is the centre of a rich agricultural district, producing maize, wheat, dairy and meat products and wool. TheBloemhoek Dam lies just east of the town and supplies much of its water needs. Acaravan park and many more camp sites on the banks of thewillow-linedVals River (Afrikaans:Valsrivier) are frequented by anglers and watersport enthusiasts.
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 theBloemhoek Dam, and boating on the Serfontein Dam. Horseriding, gliding and hiking trails are also available.[6]
Kroonstad lies directly on theN1, which bypasses the town centre to the east (toJohannesburg in the north andBloemfontein in the south). Other regional roads in the town are theR34 toOdendaalsrus in the south-west andHeilbron in the east, theR76 toSteynsrus in the south-east andViljoenskroon in the north-west, theR721 toVredefort in the north-west and theR82 toSasolburg in the north-east.
Kroonstad railway station serves the town and is located on the important railway junction fromCape Town toJohannesburg viaBloemfontein.
On 4 January 2018, a passenger train, operated byShosholoza 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.[7]
Kroonstad is served by a smallairport with no passenger flights.
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 andPick n Pay centre.
Kroonstad is said to be one of the Free State's loveliest towns and lies on the banks of theVals River, a tributary of theVaal, 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 includeflea 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 forjukskei, 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, theSarel 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 theNorth West,Bloemfontein and the EasternFree State.
In July 2022 Kroonstad was announced as the winner in the Kwêla Dorp Van Die Jaar competition.[8]
The Bloemspruit Monument27°40′18″S27°12′23″E / 27.67167°S 27.20639°E /-27.67167; 27.20639 commemorates those who died in the Kroonstad Concentration Camp,
A Garden of Remembrance27°39′05″S27°14′19″E / 27.65139°S 27.23861°E /-27.65139; 27.23861 commemorates Allied soldiers fallen in the two World Wars.
Ablockhouse south of the city is a reminder of later stages of theSecond Boer War.
Stonecorbelled 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.
By 1931, the Kroonstad municipal council had assumed acoat of arms.[9] It was registered with theOrange Free State Provincial Administration in February 1967[10] and at theBureau of Heraldry in April 1971.[11]
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 goldenmural crown in the 1960s. The supporters were ablack wildebeest and ablesbok, and the motto wasFinis coronat opus.
Kroonstad has two sister cities whose names are reminiscent of its own:
–Braşov (German:Kronstadt), a city in Romania
–Kronstadt, a Russian seaport city west of Saint Petersburg
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Kroonstad".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 15 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 928.
Municipalities and communities ofFezile Dabi District Municipality,Free State | ||
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District seat:Sasolburg | ||
| Moqhaka | .svg) | |
| Ngwathe | ||
| Metsimaholo | ||
| Mafube | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
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