Kroonstad

Kroonstad Maokeng
St John's Methodist Church in Kroonstad
Kroonstad Show map of Free State (South African province) Kroonstad Show map of South Africa Kroonstad Show map of Africa  Kroonstad shown within Free State
Coordinates: 27°39′S 27°14′E / 27.650°S 27.233°E / -27.650; 27.233Coordinates: 27°39′S 27°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
Area
• Total	89.1 km2 (34.4 sq mi)
Population (2011)
• Total	197,780
• Density	2,200/km2 (5,700/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%
Postal code (street)	9499
PO box	9500
Area code	056

Kroonstad (Afrikaans for Crown City, pronounced [krūn'stät]) is the third-largest city of the Free State province of South Africa and lies two hours drive from Gauteng.

Kroonstad was established in 1855 by the Irish pioneer Joseph Orpen, and was the first city founded after the independence of the Orange Free State. While "Kroon" 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, from 13 March to 11 May 1900, the city became the capital of the Orange Free State, and subsequently the site of a British concentration camp to accommodate Boer women and children.

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.

Kroonstad is the centre of a rich agricultural district, producing maize, wheat, dairy and meat products and wool. The main industry is agriculture. The Bloemhoek Dam lies just east of the city and supplies much of its water needs. 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.

Leisure opportunities are plentiful in Kroonstad, where visitors can enjoy golf on the 18 hole course in the city, 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. Horse riding, gliding and hiking trails are also available.