Kroonstad
Encyclopedia
Kroonstad is the third-largest town in the Free State
province of South Africa
, and lies two hours drive from Gauteng
. In the 1991 census it had a population of 110,963. The Bloemhoek Dam
lies just east of the city and supplies much of its water needs.
During the Second Boer War
, from 13 March to 11 May 1900, the town became the capital of the Orange Free State
, and subsequently the site of a British
concentration camp to accommodate Boer
women and children.
Kroonstad was established in 1855 and was the first town founded after the independence of the Orange Free State. It is the second largest urban center in the Northern Free State, and an important railway junction on the main line from Cape Town to Johannesburg.
for ‘crown’) Kroonstad has much humbler beginnings, as it is rumoured to have been named after a horse belonging to one of the Voortrekker leaders - either Sarel Cilliers
or Adriaan de la Rey - who possibly met with an accident in a stream named Kroonspruit. Folklore has it that the horse named Kroon (Afrikaans
: Crown) drowned in the stream on the site of the present town.
. A caravan park and many more camp sites on the banks of the willow
-lined Vals River (Valsrivier) are frequented by anglers and watersport enthusiasts.
have a wonderful opportunity to view The Standard Bank Building of sandstone in Cross street, designed by him. Other equally lovely old buildings adorn Kroonstad's streets, making for a picturesque amble through the town.
, and boating on the Serfontein Dam. Horse riding, gliding and Hiking Trails are also available.
, 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 center, Kroonstad still boasts much of the inherent rugged beauty, which led the Voortrekkers to establish the town where they did.
The Vals River, which runs through the center of Kroonstad, has the Kroonpark Holiday Resort resting gracefully on its banks. The resort offers high quality facilities such as a big caravan park, a number of fully furnished bungalows, conference facilities and a gigantic, heated indoor swimming pool.
Situated at what may be described as the very center of Southern Africa, Kroonstad is ideal for industries and commercial undertakings. An industrial layout to the west of the town consists of well over 150 sites where important industrial and commercial concerns from all over the country have established branches.
Sporting facilities of all kinds are well catered for the head quarters of the SA Jukskei Council has been established here in 1951. The town is rich in historical sights – several historic buildings and statues, a former concentration camp, the Sarel Cilliers Museum (although unactive currently) and other places of national interest can be found here.
Kroonstad is an important agricultural service center in the Free State with a predominantly agricultural orientated economy served by a modern toll-road which brings the PWV Region within two hours drive from Kroonstad and is also accessible from the North West, Bloemfontein and the Eastern Free State.
Kroonstad have modern shopping complexes, fine restaurants and a theatre and is therefore a convenient stop over for visitors traveling on the N1.
. Stone corbelled huts, refuges for the prehistoric inhabitants of the region, occur in various locations about the town. In addition, San rock art and fossils are present in the region.
Free State
The 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 Orange Free State Boer republic and later Orange Free State Province. The current borders of the province date from 1994 when the Bantustans...
province of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, and lies two hours drive from Gauteng
Gauteng
Gauteng is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. It was formed from part of the old Transvaal Province after South Africa's first all-race elections on 27 April 1994...
. In the 1991 census it had a population of 110,963. The Bloemhoek Dam
Bloemhoek Dam
Bloemhoek Dam, is a 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...
lies just east of the city and supplies much of its water needs.
During the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
, from 13 March to 11 May 1900, the town became the capital of the Orange Free State
Orange Free State
The Orange Free State was an independent Boer republic in southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, and later a British colony and a province of the Union of South Africa. It is the historical precursor to the present-day Free State province...
, and subsequently the site of a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
concentration camp to accommodate Boer
Boer
Boer is the Dutch and Afrikaans word for farmer, which came to denote the descendants of the Dutch-speaking settlers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 18th century, as well as those who left the Cape Colony during the 19th century to settle in the Orange Free State,...
women and children.
Kroonstad was established in 1855 and was the first town founded after the independence of the Orange Free State. It is the second largest urban center in the Northern Free State, and an important railway junction on the main line from Cape Town to Johannesburg.
Etymology
Despite its allusion to royalty (kroon is AfrikaansAfrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
for ‘crown’) Kroonstad has much humbler beginnings, as it is rumoured to have been named after a horse belonging to one of the Voortrekker leaders - either Sarel Cilliers
Sarel Cilliers
Charl Arnoldus Cilliers 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...
or Adriaan de la Rey - who possibly met with an accident in a stream named Kroonspruit. Folklore has it that the horse named Kroon (Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
: Crown) drowned in the stream on the site of the present town.
Economy
Kroonstad is the centre of a rich agricultural district, producing maize, wheat, dairy and meat products and wool. The main industry is agricultureAgriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
. A caravan park and many more camp sites on the banks of the willow
Willow
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
-lined Vals River (Valsrivier) are frequented by anglers and watersport enthusiasts.
Architecture
Fans of architect sir Herbert BakerHerbert Baker
Sir Herbert Baker was a British architect.Baker was the dominant force in South African architecture for two decades, 1892–1912....
have a wonderful opportunity to view The Standard Bank Building of sandstone in Cross street, designed by him. Other equally lovely old buildings adorn Kroonstad's streets, making for a picturesque amble through the town.
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 DamBloemhoek Dam
Bloemhoek Dam, is a 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...
, and boating on the Serfontein Dam. Horse riding, gliding and Hiking Trails are also available.
Transport
Kroonstad is also an important rail junction, and the town lies directly on top of the N1, and bypasses the town to the east.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 VaalVaal River
The Vaal River is the largest tributary of the Orange River in South Africa. The river has its source in the Drakensberg mountains in Mpumalanga, east of Johannesburg and about 30 km north of Ermelo and only about 240 km from the Indian Ocean. It then flows westwards to its conjunction...
, 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 center, Kroonstad still boasts much of the inherent rugged beauty, which led the Voortrekkers to establish the town where they did.
The Vals River, which runs through the center of Kroonstad, has the Kroonpark Holiday Resort resting gracefully on its banks. The resort offers high quality facilities such as a big caravan park, a number of fully furnished bungalows, conference facilities and a gigantic, heated indoor swimming pool.
Situated at what may be described as the very center of Southern Africa, Kroonstad is ideal for industries and commercial undertakings. An industrial layout to the west of the town consists of well over 150 sites where important industrial and commercial concerns from all over the country have established branches.
Sporting facilities of all kinds are well catered for the head quarters of the SA Jukskei Council has been established here in 1951. The town is rich in historical sights – several historic buildings and statues, a former concentration camp, the Sarel Cilliers Museum (although unactive currently) and other places of national interest can be found here.
Kroonstad is an important agricultural service center in the Free State with a predominantly agricultural orientated economy served by a modern toll-road which brings the PWV Region within two hours drive from Kroonstad and is also accessible from the North West, Bloemfontein and the Eastern Free State.
Kroonstad have modern shopping complexes, fine restaurants and a theatre and is therefore a convenient stop over for visitors traveling on the N1.
Historical sites
The Bloemspruit Monument 27°40′18"S 27°12′23"E commemorates those who died in the Kroonstad Concentration Camp, while the Garden of Remembrance 27°39′05"S 27°14′19"E commemorates Allied solders fallen in the two World Wars. A blockhouse south of town is a reminder of later stages of the Second Boer WarSecond Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
. Stone corbelled huts, refuges for the prehistoric inhabitants of the region, occur in various locations about the town. In addition, San rock art and fossils are present in the region.
See also
- BraşovBrasovBrașov is a city in Romania and the capital of Brașov County.According to the last Romanian census, from 2002, there were 284,596 people living within the city of Brașov, making it the 8th most populated city in Romania....
- (German: Kronstadt) a city in Romania - KronstadtKronstadtKronstadt , also spelled Kronshtadt, Cronstadt |crown]]" and Stadt for "city"); is a municipal town in Kronshtadtsky District of the federal city of St. Petersburg, Russia, located on Kotlin Island, west of Saint Petersburg proper near the head of the Gulf of Finland. Population: It is also...
- Russian seaport town, located on Kotlin Island, 30 km west of Saint Petersburg