Situated within 12 hours driving distance by car from anywhere in the country, the Free States’ capital city of Bloemfontein is South Africa’s geographical centre as well as its judicial capital.

Settled in 1840 by the Brits Family at the site of a natural spring, Bloemfontein, meaning “flower fountain”, was sold in 1846 to Major Warden who established himself as British Resident in the Territory. Evicted by the Voortrekkers, he was reinstated after the British were victorious in a battle led by Sir Harry Smith. It was later “given back” to the Boers, the British having decided they had no further use for the settlement.

The town’s architecture reflects this struggle for supremacy between the two nations. The Queen’s Fort now known as Bloemfontein Fort was built by Major Warden and houses a Military Museum. The Women’s War Memorial commemorates the women and children who perished in the Boer Concentration Camps during The Anglo Boer War.

Bloemfontein’s water front houses a charming array of interesting shops, restaurants and cafes which will tempt and delight its visitors.