Bloemfontein
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Coat of arms of Bloemfontein |
Bloemfontein (
IPA: ,
Dutch for "flower fountain") is one of
South Africa's three
capital cities, along with
Pretoria and
Cape Town. Bloemfontein serves as the
judicial capital, as well as the capital of the
Free State province. The city's
Sesotho name is
Mangaung, meaning "the place where
cheetahs dwell". Bloemfontein is popularly and poetically known as "the city of roses" due to the abundance of these flowers and an annual rose festival is held here.
The city is situated on dry grassland at , at an altitude of 1,395
metres above
sea level. The city is home to 369,568 residents, while the
Mangaung Local Municipality has a population of 645,455. Bloemfontein is served by
Bloemfontein airport.
Historically an
Afrikaner settlement, Bloemfontein was officially founded in 1846, and served from 1854 to 1902 as the capital of the
Orange Free State.
A railway line was built in 1890 connecting Bloemfontein to
Cape Town.
In 1899, the city was the site of the
Bloemfontein Conference, which failed to prevent the outbreak of the
Anglo-Boer War.
J. R. R. Tolkien was born in the city on
January 3 1892.
On
March 13,
1900 during the Anglo-Boer War,
British forces captured the city and built a
concentration camp here to house
Boer women and children. The 45,000 women and children (including up to 17,000 black people) who died in these camps are paid homage by the National Women's Memorial, on the outskirts of the city.
The South African National Congress (
ANC - the now ruling party) was founded to defend the rights of the black majority on
8 January 1912 in Bloemfontein, and counted
John Dube (its first president) and poet and author
Sol Plaatje among its founder members.
Bloemfontein is located in central
South Africa on the southern edge of the
Highveld at an elevation of 1400m, bordering on the semi-arid region of the
Karoo. The area is generally flat with occational hills (koppies:
Afrikaans) and the general vegetation is Highveld grassland. Due to its high elevation and distance from the sea, Bloemfontein experiences a continental climate with hot summer days (Jan: max:31ºC min:15ºC) with afternoon thunderstorms and cold, dry winters, often with severe frost (Jul: max:17ºC min:-2ºC). Snow is rare, however as recently as August 2006, it snowed in the city.
Bloemfontein suburbs include
Bayswater,
Brandwag,
Ehrlichpark,
Fauna,
Fichardtpark,
Fleurdal,
Gardeniapark,
Generaal De Wet,
Hospitaalpark,
Kiepersol,
Lourierpark,
Park West,
Pellissier,
Uitsig,
Universitas,
Westdene,
Wifgehof and
Willows to the south of the city. To the north of Bloemfontein, you will find
Langenhovenpark,
Arboretum,
Bayswater,
Dan Pienaar,
Helicon Heights,
Heuwelsig,
Hillsboro,
Hillside,
Hilton,
Naval Hill,
Navalsig,
Noordhoek,
Pentagon Park and
Waverley.
Some of the matches of the
Football World Cup 2010 will be played at Bloemfontein's
Free State Stadium. The local training venues are:
*
Seisa Ramabodu Stadium*
University of the Free State Stadium*
Jo Batlokong Stadium*
Central University of Technology, Free State Stadium*
Bethlehem StadiumBloemfontein is the seat of
University of the Free State as well as the
Central University of TechnologyThere are also several high schools (secondary schools) in the city, these include:
*
Hoërskool Fichardtpark in Fichhardtpark
*Technical High School Louis Botha,
*
Hoërskool Jim Fouché*
Hoërskool Sand du Plessis*
St. Andrew's School*
St. Michael's School*
Sentraal High School (
Hoërskool Sentraal), located in the suburb of
Dan Pienaar *Oranje Meisieskool.
The most famous schools are
Grey College and
Eunice Girls High School which are situated alongside each other.
Bloemfontein has an excellent
Motocross track run by the
Bloemfontein Off Road Club.
There is also a
kart circuit, M&F Raceway which is ruled by Bloemfontein Kart Club.
You can also enjoy a day or a sleep over at the Bloemfontein Zoo. Zoo Snoozes are only one of the activities arranged by
Friends of the Bloemfontein Zoo.
*
Die VolksbladSeveral churches and denominations are represented in Bloemfontein.
*
NG Gemeente Heuwelkruin (
Dutch Reformed Church}
*
Calvary Independent Baptist ChurchBloemfontein forms part of the
Manguang Local Municipality and the
Motheo District Municipality*
Bloemfontein The official Mangaung Local Municipality website
*
Bloemonline The Bloemfontein business guide
*
Additional information about Bloemfontein Airport*
Google Map*
Boyden Observatory
