73-610: The Anglo-Boer War Museum (also known as The War Museum of the Boer Republics ) in Bloemfontein is the only museum in the world dedicated solely to the Anglo-Boer Wars of 1899 to 1902. The museum has a unique art collection, dioramas and exhibits but also brings the visitor closer to understanding the background against which the war took place. The National Women's Monument dedicated to all women and children
146-590: A Sotho township, was the first formal housing projects to be approved by the municipality in 1956. Physical buffers such as the railway line and roads were put into place to separate black ethnic groups, the white and coloured population. Eleven thousand housing structures, of which approximately 6,000 were government-built rental accommodations, were erected in Mangaung between 1952 and 1968. In 1968, Mangaung faced severe housing shortages when as many as 3,000 to 6,000 housing units were needed. To counter this problem,
219-574: A motocross track (tempe) run by the Bloemfontein Off Road Club, as well as a go-kart circuit (M&F Raceway), which was closed down in early 2015. Bloemfontein has a comprehensive shooting centre 20 km (12 mi) south of the city, offering most forms of shooting, including various clay target, pistol, and rifle disciplines. Bloemfontein's shooting sports community has produced many provincial and national representatives. Bloemfontein's Metallic Silhouette Shooting Range
292-423: A 55 km eastward expansion called Botshabelo was added in 1979. The Bloemfontein municipality channelled off all black urbanisation to Thaba Nchu and Botshabelo, which were developed as a source of cheap labour for the city of Bloemfontein. A subsidised bus service was established, and Botshabelo was declared a decentralisation point, meaning it was designated to become an industrial development point to reduce
365-467: A British outpost in the Transoranje region, at that stage occupied by various groups of peoples including !Orana (so-called "Korana" of the ǀHõaǁʼaes, ǀHũdiǁʼaes, Einiǁʼaes, and others), Cape Colony Trek Boers , Griqua (at that time known as "Baasters") and Barolong . Warden initially chose the site primarily because of its proximity to the main route to Winburg , the spacious open country, and
438-514: A desire for political independence. In 1853, the Cape Colony became a British Crown colony with representative government. In 1854, the Cape of Good Hope elected its first parliament , on the basis of the multi-racial Cape Qualified Franchise . Cape residents qualified as voters based on a universal minimum level of property ownership, regardless of race. Executive power remaining completely in
511-547: A festival was appropriate, given the area's name. In 1976, the events spanned over a few days and included activities related to roses in the Sanlam Plaza. Since then, the rose festival has expanded and grown to meet the needs and interests of the public. Horticulturalists are invited to participate in competitions to design and improve unkempt gardens around the city. Festival activities occur in private gardens all over Bloemfontein as city residents open their gardens to
584-407: A green environment, such as solar power, grey water systems, vegetable tunnels, JoJo tank systems, etc. Bloemfontein houses many institutions of learning, from pre-schools to universities and colleges. Classes are taught in different languages from school to school, with some even teaching all their classes in two languages. The languages are predominantly Afrikaans , English, and Sesotho . There
657-663: A number of bitter, genocidal conflicts between the colonists and the Khoe-speaking indigenes , followed by the Xhosa , both of which they perceived as unwanted competitors for prime farmland. VOC traders imported thousands of slaves to the Cape of Good Hope from the Dutch East Indies and other parts of Africa. By the end of the eighteenth century the Cape's population swelled to about 26,000 people of European descent and 30,000 slaves. In 1795, France occupied
730-597: A trading post and naval victualing station at the Cape of Good Hope in 1652. Van Riebeeck's objective was to secure a harbour of refuge for VOC ships during the long voyages between Europe and Asia. Within about three decades, the Cape had become home to a large community of vrijlieden , also known as vrijburgers ('free citizens'), former VOC employees who settled in the colonies overseas after completing their service contracts. Vrijburgers were mostly married citizens who undertook to spend at least twenty years farming
803-521: Is a Further Education and Training College called Motheo FET College, which comprises three main campuses (Thaba N'chu, Hillside View, and Bloemfontein) and satellite campuses in Zastron, Philippolis, and Botshabelo.Motheo TVET College The private sector mainly drives Bloemfontein's economy. Bloemfontein's share of National GDP, employment, and population is the lowest among the benchmark group of South African and Southern African cities, falling just below
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#1732773259293876-730: Is also hosted at the Waterfront, along with the Miss Volksblad Rosebud competition for girls aged 3–4 years old, organised in conjunction with the Volksblad daily newspaper. The Rose Morning High Tea usually occurs at the Urth Garden Centre, where tea and treats are served. The Urth Garden Centre is a retail and wholesale nursery that is located on Kenneth Kaunda Road in Bloemfontein. The crowning of
949-615: Is one of the top metallic silhouette shooting ranges in the world. Three IMSSU international championships have been held here : Bloemfontein has two rock climbing clubs with a wall and boulder cave. Every year Bloemfontein, the 'City of Roses', celebrates the 'Bloemfontein Rose Festival', also known as the 'Mangaung Rose Festival', in October—the cool month in which roses in the Free State bloom best. The majority of
1022-615: Is situated at the same location and was unveiled in 1913. It was the National Women’s Memorial Committee came with the idea that a museum, solely dedicated to the preservation of the Anglo-Boer War history and objects be established. Frans Soff was the architect commissioned to design the building and on 26 April 1930 the corner stone of the War Museum was laid by Senator W.J.C. Brebner. On 30 September 1931
1095-762: 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 capital Cape Town and administrative capital Pretoria , although the highest court in South Africa, the Constitutional Court , has been in Johannesburg since 1994. Situated at an elevation of 1,395 m (4,577 ft) above sea level,
1168-459: Is very common but snow is rare. Snowfall was reported in August 2006 with snowfalls occurring again at the airport on 26 July 2007. As recently as August 2020 and July 2021 very light snow fell across the city with heavier snowfall on 4 June 2024. In addition, the city's highland elevation allows for exceptional temperature diurnal of about 15-20°C (27-36°F) Bloemfontein suburbs include Heidedal to
1241-628: The 1820 Settlers . They also began to introduce the first rudimentary rights for the Cape's Black African population and, in 1834, abolished slavery ; however, the government proved unable to rein in settler violence against the San, which continued largely unabated as it had during the Dutch period. The resentment that the Boers felt against this social change, as well as the imposition of English language and culture , caused them to trek inland en masse. This
1314-687: The British Empire , becoming self-governing in 1872. The colony was coextensive with the later Cape Province , stretching from the Atlantic coast inland and eastward along the southern coast, constituting about half of modern South Africa: the final eastern boundary, after several wars against the Xhosa , stood at the Fish River . In the north, the Orange River , natively known as the ǂNūǃarib (Black River) and subsequently called
1387-622: The Cape , now nominally controlled by the Batavian Republic , was occupied again by the British after their victory in the Battle of Blaauwberg . The temporary peace between the UK and Napoleonic France had crumbled into open hostilities, whilst Napoleon had been strengthening his influence on the Batavian Republic (which Napoleon would subsequently abolish and directly administer later
1460-587: The JSE Limited since March 2007 and Ruwacon (Pty Ltd), established in 1999. Other major companies included the retail department store, Kloppers, established in 1967 and EconoFoods (Pty Ltd) established in 1996. Cape Colony The Cape Colony ( Dutch : Kaapkolonie ), also known as the Cape of Good Hope , was a British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope . It existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when it united with three other colonies to form
1533-506: The Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality , which was upgraded from a Local Municipality in 2011. The Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality elects a municipal council for five-year periods through a mixed-member proportional representation (MMP) system in which wards elect individual councillors alongside those named from party lists. Voters get two votes: one for a representative to become a ward councillor and
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#17327732592931606-689: The National Party of the Orange Free State , and to lay down its principles, following Hertzog's exit from the South African Party in 1913. The National Party grew to govern South Africa in 1948 and implement the policy of racial segregation known as apartheid . When the National Party won the 1948 South African national government elections , they began implementing the policy known as apartheid . The policy
1679-751: The National Women's Monument , the Anglo-Boer War Museum , the National Museum , and the Oliewenhuis Art Museum . Bloemfontein also hosts the first digital planetarium in the southern hemisphere, the Naval Hill Planetarium, and Boyden Observatory , an astronomical research observatory. Bloemfontein is popularly and poetically known as "the city of roses" for its abundance of these flowers and
1752-763: The Seven Provinces of the Dutch Republic , the mother country of the Dutch United East India Company . This prompted Great Britain to occupy the Cape Colony in 1795 as a way to better control the seas in order to stop any potential French attempt to reach India . The British sent a fleet of nine warships which anchored at Simon's Town and, following the defeat of the VOC militia at the Battle of Muizenberg , took control of
1825-713: The South African Republic (Republic of Transvaal) and the Orange Free State , South Africa became a Union. Due to disagreements over where the Union's capital should be, a compromise was reached that allowed Bloemfontein to host Appellate Division and become the Union's judicial capital. Bloemfontein was also given financial compensation. On 8 January 1912, the South African Native National Congress (SANNC)
1898-653: The Union of South Africa , then became the Cape Province , which existed even after 1961, when South Africa had become a republic, albeit, temporarily outside the Commonwealth of Nations (1961–94). The British colony was preceded by an earlier corporate colony that became an original Dutch colony of the same name , which was established in 1652 by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) . The Cape
1971-533: The eastern-western division was largely laid to rest. The system of multi-racial franchise also began a slow and fragile growth in political inclusiveness, and ethnic tensions subsided. In 1877, the state expanded by annexing Griqualand West and Griqualand East – that is, the Mount Currie district ( Kokstad ). The emergence of two Boer mini-republics along the Missionary Road resulted in 1885 in
2044-650: The Blue Bulls in 2006 and retained the Currie Cup title in 2007 by beating the Golden Lions , resulting in the Cheetahs remaining Currie Cup champions until 2008 when the failed to make the final for the first time since 2004. 2009 saw the Cheetahs return to the Currie Cup final, but they could not beat the Blue Bulls at Loftus Versfeld . In 2016, the Cheetahs won the Currie Cup after a perfect season, beating
2117-590: The Blue Bulls in Bloemfontein. The Knights cricket team representing the Free State and Northern Cape in various series is located at Mangaung Oval , part of the Free State Stadium complex. Bloemfontein features as a regular venue for touring international and local cricket teams. The town has one of the most active soaring communities in South Africa and the world, using the New Tempe Airport , north of Bloemfontein. Bloemfontein has
2190-502: The British colonists and the Boers. Rhodes also brought in the first formal restrictions on the political rights of the Cape of Good Hope's black African citizens. The Cape of Good Hope remained nominally under British rule until the formation of the Union of South Africa in 1910, when it became the province of the Cape of Good Hope, better known as the Cape Province . The districts of the colony in 1850 were: Population figures for
2263-515: The British in occupying the city later. The writer J. R. R. Tolkien was born in the city on 3 January 1892. However, his family left Orange Free State (now Free State province , South Africa) following the death of his father, Arthur Tolkien , when Tolkien was three (1895). He recorded that his earliest memories were of "a hot country". In 1899, the city was the site of the Bloemfontein Conference , which failed to prevent
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2336-665: The Cape of Good Hope . South Africa became a sovereign state in 1931 by the Statute of Westminster . In 1961, it became the Republic of South Africa . Following the 1994 creation of the present-day South African provinces , the Cape Province was partitioned into the Eastern Cape , Northern Cape , and Western Cape , with smaller parts in North West province. An expedition of the VOC led by Jan van Riebeeck established
2409-554: The Cape's Prime Minister in 1890, he instigated a rapid expansion of British influence into the hinterland. In particular, he sought to engineer the conquest of the Transvaal, and although his ill-fated Jameson Raid failed and brought down his government, it led to the Second Boer War and British conquest at the turn of the century. The politics of the colony consequently came to be increasingly dominated by tensions between
2482-408: The Dutch language. Many of the colonists who settled directly on the frontier became increasingly independent and localised in their loyalties. Known as Boers , they migrated beyond the Cape Colony's initial borders and had soon penetrated almost a thousand kilometres inland. Some Boers even adopted a nomadic lifestyle permanently and were denoted as trekboers . The VOC colonial period had
2555-585: The Gariep River, served as the boundary for some time, although some land between the river and the southern boundary of Botswana was later added to it. From 1878, the colony also included the enclave of Walvis Bay and the Penguin Islands , both in what is now Namibia . It united with three other colonies to form the Union of South Africa in 1910, and was accordingly renamed the Province of
2628-758: The King and Mangaung in the year of nomination. The Mangaung Rose Classic Cycle Tour is a road race that takes place during the festival every year. The event is organised by AfriCycle Tours, and the dates are announced annually. The race starts at the Urth, and the race distances include 22 km, 56 km, and 106 km. This expo forms part of the Mangaung/Bloemfontein Rose Festival and gives 'green' and organic local businesses an opportunity to promote their businesses. This includes showcasing different products and services that support
2701-546: The Maphikela House (where the African National Congress started) is situated. The Free State Stadium and the surrounding sports complex are the primary sports venues in the city and province. The venue was the hosting stadium of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa matches played in Bloemfontein. There are several other sports venues in the city, however, including facilities belonging to
2774-571: The Netherlands upon the Edict of Fontainebleau . This so-called "Huguenot experiment" was deemed a failure by the colonial authorities a decade later, as many of the Huguenot arrivals had little experience with agriculture and had become a net burden on the colonial government. There was a degree of cultural assimilation due to Dutch cultural hegemony that included the almost universal adoption of
2847-632: The Warren Expedition, sent to annex the republics of Stellaland and Goshen (lands annexed to British Bechuanaland ). Major-General Charles Warren annexed the land south of the Molopo River as the colony of British Bechuanaland and proclaimed a protectorate over the land lying to the North of the river. Vryburg , the capital of Stellaland, became capital of British Bechuanaland, while Mafeking (now Mahikeng ), although situated south of
2920-570: The absence of horse sickness . Bloemfontein was the original farm of Johannes Nicolaas Brits, born on 21 February 1790, owner and first inhabitant of Bloemfontein. Johann – as he was known – sold the farm to Major Warden. With colonial policy shifts, the region changed into the Orange River Sovereignty (1848–1854) and eventually the Orange Free State Republic (1854–1902). From 1902 to 1910, it served as
2993-407: The annual rose festival held there. The city is situated in the middle of the country; hence it is referred to as "Central South Africa". The city's Sesotho name is Mangaung , meaning "place of cheetahs ". Though historically a !Orana and Barolong settlement, and then a Boer settlement, Bloemfontein was officially founded in 1846 as a fort by British Army major Henry Douglas Warden as
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3066-450: The authority of the British governor did not relieve tensions in the colony between its eastern and western sections. In 1872, after a long political battle, the Cape of Good Hope achieved responsible government under its first Prime Minister, John Molteno . Henceforth, an elected Prime Minister and his cabinet had total responsibility for the affairs of the country. A period of strong economic growth and social development ensued, and
3139-536: The capital of the Orange River Colony and since that time as the provincial capital of the Free State . In 1910, it became the Judicial capital of the Union of South Africa . A possible etymology for the city's name is that it is called Bloemfontein lit. "Bloem's fountain", after Jan Bloem II, a Griqua leader. The Orange Free State was an independent Boer Republic in southern Africa during
3212-416: The city is home to 256,185 (as of 2011) residents and forms part of the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality which has a population of 747,431. It was one of the host cities for the 2010 FIFA World Cup . The city of Bloemfontein hosts the Supreme Court of Appeal , the Franklin Game Reserve, Naval Hill , the Maselspoort Resort and the Sand du Plessis Theatre . The city hosts numerous museums, including
3285-522: The city of Port Elizabeth . The city's share of the National GDP is 1.73%, with a share of national employment at 1.86% and a share of the national population at 1.67%. Bloemfontein's GDP growth, at 0.57% in 2015, stood in the lower half of the benchmark group of cities. Like other major cities in South Africa, Bloemfontein's GDP growth has slowly decreased in recent years. The city is home to two of South Africa's top construction and infrastructure companies. Raubex Group Ltd, established in 1974 and listed on
3358-407: The council demarcated three locations in the following areas; the black population was to move to the area that lay to the right of a neighbourhood that was known as Kaffirfontein, Coloureds were to move to the Waaihoek Black residential area on the eastern outskirts of the town. The inhabitants of these settlements had to pay the so-called hut tax and grazing rights tax. This laid the foundation for
3431-436: The distance between the place of employment and the place of residence. In 1988, approximately 14,500 people were commuting daily between Botshabelo and Bloemfontein. This meant that 55% of Botshabelo's workforce was employed outside the city. In 1994, after the disestablishment of the apartheid government, Bloemfontein, Botshabelo, and Thaba Nchu became part of Motheo District Municipality . The Motheo District Municipality
3504-438: The east and southeast, Bain's Vlei , Woodland Hills Wildlife Estate , Brandwag , Ehrlich Park , Fauna , Fichardt Park , Fleurdal , Gardenia Park , Generaal De Wet , Hospitaalpark , Kiepersol, Lourier Park , Park West, Pellissier , Uitsig , Universitas , Westdene , Wilgehof and Willows to the south of the city. In the centre is Bloemfontein Central . To the west of Bloemfontein, you will find Langenhoven Park . To
3577-463: The events happen at the Loch Logan Waterfront in Bloemfontein. The festival attracts rose enthusiasts from all over South Africa and the world to participate in and experience this grand showcase of roses and other local events and attractions. The festival has made Bloemfontein a popular tourist destination with thousands of people attending the festival annually. The first rose festival occurred in 1976, when council members decided that hosting such
3650-534: The general public. Most festival activities occur at the Loch Logan Waterfront, the largest shopping centre in central South Africa. It spans about 80 000 m of space and is the hub of shopping, entertainment, sport, and culture in Bloemfontein. The waterfront displays flowers created by local nurseries as well as the official municipal display created by the parks department, which the Mangaung Municipality organises. The Free State Rose Society's champion Rose Cut Competition, with approximately 700 entrants every year,
3723-455: The general vegetation is Highveld grassland. Bloemfontein experiences a Cold Semi-arid climate ( Köppen BSk), with hot summer days and cool, dry winters with frosty nights. Rainfall usually arrives in the summer months, often in the form of dramatic but short-lived afternoon/evening thunderstorms that serve as a temporary relief from the heat. The city tends to be dry and dusty in winter with freezing nights and mostly mild, sunny days. Frost
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#17327732592933796-408: The government of the Cape Colony as well as Boer settlers finally died down when the Xhosa took part in a mass destruction of their own crops and cattle , in the belief that this would cause their ancestors to wake from the dead. The resulting famine crippled Xhosa country and ushered in a long period of stability on the border. Peace and prosperity, in addition to the Convict crisis of 1849, led to
3869-399: The historic 4–1 defeat of England by Germany in the round of 16 Bloemfontein's Free State Stadium is home to two rugby union teams; the Cheetahs , who as of 2023 compete as in invited side in the EPCR Challenge Cup , and the Free State Cheetahs who play in the domestic Currie Cup . The Free State Cheetahs won the Currie Cup in 2005 against the Blue Bulls ; they drew the final with
3942-400: The implementation of residential urban segregation as envisaged by the architects of apartheid. When the South African apartheid government passed the Group Areas Act of 1950, the Bloemfontein municipality put into effect changes in the racial set-up of the city. The municipality demolished the Cape Stands residential area, which was occupied by the city's coloured population , and moved
4015-413: The land within the fledgling colony's borders; in exchange they received tax exempt status and were loaned tools and seeds . Reflecting the multi-national nature of the early trading companies, the VOC granted vrijburger status to Dutch, Swiss, Scandinavian and German employees, among others. In 1688 they also sponsored the immigration of nearly two hundred French Huguenot refugees who had fled to
4088-491: The museum was opened by the first prime minister of the Union of South Africa , General J. B. M. Hertzog . This South African military article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about a museum in South Africa is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Bloemfontein Bloemfontein ( / ˈ b l uː m f ɒ n t eɪ n / BLOOM -fon-tayn ; Afrikaans: [ˈblumfɔntɛin] ), also known as Bloem ,
4161-418: The north you will find Arboretum , Baysvalley , Bayswater , Dan Pienaar , Helicon Heights, Heuwelsig , Hillsboro, Hillside, Hilton, Naval Hill , Navalsig , Noordhoek , Pentagon Park, Panorama Park, and Waverley . To the northeast, you will find Roodewal and Vallombrosa. The predominantly black suburbs are Rocklands, Phahameng, Phelindaba, Bloemanda, Bochabela, JB Mafora, and the most historic Batho, where
4234-452: The other for a political party. The latter vote distributes seats in the municipal council amongst parties, while the former distributes seats through the individual representatives. Bloemfontein is located in central South Africa on the southern edge of the Highveld at an elevation of 1,400 metres (4,600 ft), bordering on the semi-arid region of the Karoo . The area is generally flat with occasional hills ("koppies" in Afrikaans ), and
4307-417: The outbreak of the Second Boer War . The conference was a final attempt to avert a war between Britain and the South African Republic , and its failure set the stage for war, which broke out on 11 October 1899. On 13 March 1900, following the Battle of Paardeberg , the British captured the city and built a concentration camp nearby to house Boer women and children. In 1913, the National Women's Monument
4380-451: The protectorate border, became the protectorate's administrative centre. The border between the protectorate and the colony ran along the Molopo and Nossob rivers. In 1895, British Bechuanaland became part of the Cape Colony. However, the discovery of diamonds around Kimberley and gold in the Transvaal led to a return to instability, particularly because they fuelled the rise to power of the ambitious imperialist Cecil Rhodes . On becoming
4453-403: The republic's governance and compensation from the British for the loss of the diamond-rich Griqua Land area. The old Orange Free State's presidential residence, the Old Presidency , is currently a museum and cultural space in the city. A railway line was built in 1890 connecting Bloemfontein to Cape Town . The railway line provided a centrally located railway station and proved critical to
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#17327732592934526-490: The residents to Heidedal . However, due to Coloureds living in such proximity to black people, intermarriages across racial lines occurred, resulting in a partially mixed population in Heidedal and Mangaung . In 1952, the Bloemfontein municipality began building new residential areas for the city's black population. New residential areas to separate ethnic groups such as Sotho , Xhosa and Tswana were formed. The residential areas were jointly known as Mangaung. Phahameng,
4599-411: The same year). The British , who set up a colony on 8 January 1806, hoped to keep Napoleon out of the Cape, and to control the Far East trade routes. The Cape Colony at the time of British occupation was three months' sailing distance from London . The White colonial population was small, no more than 25,000 in all, scattered across a territory of 100,000 square miles. Most lived in Cape Town and
4672-519: The second half of the 19th century. Extending between the Orange and Vaal rivers, its borders were determined by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1848 when the region was proclaimed as the Orange River Sovereignty , with a seat of a British Resident in Bloemfontein. As the capital of the Orange Free State Republic, the growth and maturing of the republic resulted in the development of Bloemfontein. The city constructed numerous public buildings that remain in use today, facilitated by
4745-433: The surrounding farming districts of the Boland , an area favoured with rich soils, a Mediterranean Climate and reliable rainfall. Cape Town had a population of 16,000 people. In 1814 the Dutch government formally ceded sovereignty over the Cape to the British , under the terms of the Convention of London . The British started to settle the eastern border of the Cape Colony, with the arrival in Port Elizabeth of
4818-433: The territory. The United East India Company transferred its territories and claims to the Batavian Republic (the Revolutionary period Dutch state) in 1798, and went bankrupt in 1799. Improving relations between Britain and Napoleonic France , and its vassal state the Batavian Republic , led the British to hand the Cape of Good Hope over to the Batavian Republic in 1803, under the terms of the Treaty of Amiens . In 1806,
4891-417: The university, schools and sports clubs. Other stadiums in the city are Mangaung Oval , Dr. Petrus Molemela Stadium and Clive Solomons Stadium . Bloemfontein was joint home (together with nearby Botshabelo ) to South African Premiership team Bloemfontein Celtic before the team sold their franchise in 2021. Some of the matches of the 2010 FIFA World Cup were played at the Free State Stadium, including
4964-409: Was built on separate development of ethnic groups, and racial segregation was enforced. In Bloemfontein, residential segregation had begun in the 19th century with the passing of Ordinance 1 of 1860, which determined that no non-white, without written permission from the landlord (British government), had the right to occupy urban land in towns where local municipalities did not yet exist. On 3 June 1861,
5037-437: Was constructed on the outskirts of the city to commemorate all Boer civilians who died in concentration camps during the war. The hill in town was named Naval Hill after the naval guns brought in by the British to fortify the position against attack. On 31 May 1910, exactly eight years after the Boers signed the Peace Treaty of Vereeniging that ended the Anglo-Boer War between the British Empire and two Boer states ,
5110-492: Was disestablished on 18 May 2011, and Mangaung was upgraded to become an autonomous metropolitan municipality with Bloemfontein as the main seat. Until 1994, the city was South Africa's sole judicial capital. It remains the seat for the Supreme Court of Appeal (formerly the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court). The city is also an administrative centre with many private hospitals and educational institutions. Free State Provincial Government building Bloemfontein forms part of
5183-479: Was founded in Bloemfontein. The Union of South Africa had not granted rights to black South Africans, causing the organisation's creation. Its primary aim was to fight for the rights of black South Africans. During the implementation of pass laws , the city saw major demonstrations that forced South African authorities to exempt women from them for nearly four decades. From 1 to 9 January 1914, James Barry Munnik Hertzog and his supporters met in Bloemfontein to form
5256-655: Was known as the Great Trek , and the migrating Boers settled inland, eventually forming the Boer Republics . British Immigration continued in the Cape, even as many of the Boers continued to trek inland, and the ending of the British East India Company 's monopoly on trade led to economic growth. At the same time, the long series of Xhosa Wars fought between the Xhosa people in the east and
5329-681: Was under VOC rule from 1652 to 1795 and under rule of the Napoleonic Batavia Republic from 1803 to 1806. The VOC lost the colony to Great Britain following the 1795 Battle of Muizenberg , but it was ceded to the Batavia Republic following the 1802 Treaty of Amiens . It was re-occupied by the British following the Battle of Blaauwberg in 1806, and British possession affirmed with the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814 . The Cape of Good Hope then remained in
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